Your skin is your body’s largest organ and covers about 21 square feet, on average. Given its size and level of exposure, it makes sense that more skin cancers are diagnosed than all other types of cancers combined. In fact, one in five Americans develop skin cancer by the age of 70.
This May, for Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Juan-Carlos Caballero and his team of skin health specialists at Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center want to discuss skin self-exams.
Self-exams and professional in-office skin cancer screenings are your first, and best, line of defense against skin cancer. To illustrate our point, consider this: With early detection, the five-year survival rate of melanoma is about 99%.
Let’s first discuss some of the risk factors for melanoma, which also apply to other forms of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
At the top of the “skin cancer risk factor” list is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, mostly from the sun — but also from tanning beds and sun lamps. Risky UV exposure can include previous sunburns, as well as persistent exposure over the years.
With melanoma, skin color matters. People with fair skin have a 3% chance of developing melanoma compared to 0.1% for Black people and 0.5% among Hispanics.
You aren’t born with moles — they develop during childhood and adulthood. Having many moles can raise your risks for melanoma.
Skin cancer, in general, counts age as a risk factor, but this doesn’t apply to melanoma, which is one of the most common cancers among young adults.
As you can see, most everyone is at some risk for developing skin cancer, so routine self-exams are always a good idea. What we want you to look for are irregularities in your skin, such as a mole that’s changing size or becoming itchy, or new, rough patches in your skin.
In fact, changes in your skin are often the first clue, so getting to know your skin through self-exams is a great practice because you can notice when something is new or evolving.
To set the stage for a good skin check, it’s a great idea to bathe first. Once your skin is clean, get to a well-lit room with a full-length mirror and bring along a handheld mirror. It’s also helpful to enlist some help from a spouse, partner, friend, or family member to check areas you can’t see, such as your back.
With everything ready, stand in front of the mirror and thoroughly check your:
Next, check your arms, including your armpits, between your fingers, and under your fingernails for any abnormalities.
From there, you can sit on a chair to examine your legs and feet, using the handheld mirror to check the backs of your legs. Remember to check between your toes, the soles of your feet, and under your toenails.
Now take the handheld mirror to check your buttocks (your partner can help with this, too) and around your genitals.
Lastly, thoroughly check your scalp, behind your ears, and the back of your neck, which are all areas that are frequently exposed to UV rays.
If you find something during your self-exam that’s suspicious, or that you’re not sure about, the next step is to come see us. We understand that there’s a lot of ground to cover during these self-exams, which is why we also recommend regular skin checks with us.
If you have questions about skin checks for melanoma or you’d like to see one of our skin cancer specialists, contact Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center in Warrenton, Virginia: Call 540-341-1900 (choose option 3) today, or request an appointment online via our texting app at your convenience.
