Knowing your own body — your moles, whats normal, whats not normal — is one of your most valuable tools for early detection. Generally, a skin cancer screening with a dermatology provider is recommended every year. Knowing how to screen yourself, and doing it consistently in-between visits can help you stay on top of your own skin health, potentially catching harmful changes in your skin as soon as possible.
Use the guide below to complete a skin cancer self-exam (courtesy of AIM at Melanoma). Often times it can be helpful to have a partner lend a helping hand in checking your back, scalp, and other hard to see areas. Spread the love — screen each other!
1. Examine your face, especially the nose, lips, mouth, and ears – front and back. Use one or both mirrors to get a clear view.
2. Thoroughly inspect your scalp, using a blow dryer and mirror to expose each section to view. Get a friend or family member to help if you can.
3. Check your hands carefully; palms and backs, between the fingers, and under fingernails. Continue up the wrists to examine both the front and backs of your forearms.
4. Standing in front of a full length mirror, begin at the elbows and scan all sides of your upper arms. Don’t forget the underarms.
5. Next focus on the neck, chest, and torso. Women should lift breasts to view the underside.
6. With your back to the full length mirror, use a handheld mirror to inspect the back of your neck, shoulders, upper back, and any part of the back of your arms you could not view in step 5.
7. Still using both mirrors, scan your lower back, buttocks, and the backs of both legs.
8. Sit down; prop each leg in turn on another stool or chair. Use the handheld mirror to examine the genitals and mucosal area. Check the front and sides of both legs, thigh to shin; ankles, tops of feet, between toes and under toenails. Examine soles of feet and heels.
While you look — MoleMapper™ can help you track your moles.
Take control of your skin health — from the palm of your hand
MoleMapper™ is an iPhone app designed to help you map, measure and monitor your moles over time.
One of the most important warning signs of melanoma is a change in the skin, but it can be difficult to remember what our skin lesions (moles, freckles, etc…) look like from month to month. MoleMapper™ uses your cellphone camera to capture images of your skin lesions, allows you to map them, measure their size in reference to a common object like a coin, and then compare them to past images to monitor for changes. Learn more.
