Skin cancer-detecting can be challenging, especially when new formations occur along the skin that looks similar to moles or bumps but can also appear cancerous. Determine cancerous cells along the skin can be done when patients know how to body check their skin for skin formations. Prevention and early detection of cancers can help provide dermatologists with more proactive forms of treatment and help educate patients about how they can body check their skin for warning signs, and help further educate people about how dermatologists can help with skin conditions.

Why Skin Cancer Prevention Matters

Checking your body for skin cancers can be difficult often due to the formation, abnormality, and uncertainty that comes with a new mole, skin tab, or bump. However, some defining features come with understanding skin cancers like melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Early detection and prevention are paramount to the treatment dermatologists can provide for the patient for each of these cancers. According to clinical studies from the JAMA Internal Medicine, skin cancer rates are higher than any other cancer combined. These treatments are the fifth most costly cancer treatment for Medicare. However, skin cancers are also one of the most unrecognized forms of cancer, especially for Hispanic and minority individuals.

Preventing skin cancer, however, can be best performed through body checks. Body checkups allow you to observe your skin’s current state for any drastic changes that have occurred over the last few months to years. Areas where no moles occurred may suddenly have more moles due to constant exposure to sunlight or increased exposure to tobacco products. Often, dermatologists working to educate patients about skin cancers ultimately have to reach towards advising patients about some of the associated causes for skin cancers, such as:

• Indoor Tanning
• UV Ray Exposure
• Sensitive, lighter skin
• Family histories of skin cancer
• Personal history of large moles

How To Body Check For Skin Cancer

Body checking is one of the best and most inexpensive forms of treatment you can provide to check your skin for any unusual signs. When checking your skin, it’s essential to keep tabs on early warning signs, such as:

• Asymmetrical Appearance: Your skin area will often appear asymmetrical, where one side of the mark looks more defined than the other. Many healthy skin formations usually have consistency in their appearance, and early signs of cancerous skin formations often appear unmatched.
• Irregular Edges: Ragged, blurry, and notched up edges along the sides and top of the mark will also indicate skin cancer. It can appear raised above the skin, feel hard to the touch, and generate a consistent amount of roughness when brushed upon.
• Larger Diameters: Typically, skin cancers will usually develop above ¼ of an inch and appear about the size of a pencil eraser. However, some cancers may also appear smaller.
• Evolving Shape: Lastly, one of the tell-tale signs of skin cancer is that its shape will evolve and grow over time. In other cases, if open sores are present, the wounds will expand and refuse to heal, and there will also be raised edges along with the formation that itch, burn, and easily scar.

Often, body checkups can help us look for abnormal skin formation. Once found, it can be hard to determine whether that formation is benign or cancerous. By visiting your dermatologist, they can help determine these skin conditions and provide proper treatment.