Skin Cancer
Skin
Examinations
Two
types of skin examinations are used to detect skin cancer:
* Self-examination
* Examination
by a dermatologist (or other physician)
Self-Examination
Skin cancer has a 95% cure rate when detected early, and
a key to early detection is regular self-examinations of
your skin. Everyone, not only those with an increased risk
of developing skin cancer, should perform regular skin examinations.
Examining your skin for suspicious moles and other lesions
could save your life.
To
perform a self-examination, you will need a:
* Full-length mirror
* Handheld
mirror
* Well-lit
room that offers privacy
Examining
your skin consists of standing in front of a full-length
mirror to visually examine your body for signs of skin cancer
and using a handheld mirror to view areas that cannot be
seen without a second mirror. It is important to visually
inspect your entire body as skin cancer can occur anywhere,
not only on areas frequently exposed to the sun. Be sure
to check your back, scalp, underarms, genitalia, palms,
soles, and areas between the toes and fingers. When examining
your scalp, it may help to systematically part the hair
to check the entire scalp. An illustrated guide that shows
how to examine your skin is shown on the right.
What
to look for. You should become familiar with your birthmarks,
blemishes, and moles so you know what they look like and
can spot changes. As you examine your skin, look for changes
in the size, color, shape, or texture of a mark on your
skin. Signs of skin cancer include:
* Sore
that never fully heals
* Translucent
growth with rolled edges
* Brown
or black streak underneath a nail
* Cluster
of slow-growing, shiny pink or red lesions
* Waxy-feeling
scar
* Flat
or slightly depressed lesion that feels hard to the touch
Pay
special attention to moles, especially one that has recently
changed, bleeds, or itches. When looking at moles, keep
in mind the ABCDs of Melanoma Detection.
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The information on this page has been extracted from http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/skin_examinations.html
