How can I self examine myself for skin cancer check?

How can I self examine myself for skin cancer check?

An important part of skin cancer detection is a person’s self examination.  Many individuals believe that they cannot identify an abnormal mole.  This is not necessarily so.  Many patients, if they can see an abnormal mole often pick it themselves.  This is not to say that every mole that an individual believes is abnormal is so.  However it merely means that a check by a medical professional should then be undertaken. 

There are some parts of the body where an individual cannot see on their skin, such as the backs of the legs, the back, back of the neck and some areas of the scalp.  If this is the case another individual can intermittently check these areas.

With modern phones that have excellent cameras, it is quite reasonable for an individual to take a photograph of their own moles with a date attached and then look at it at a later date.  It is difficult to remember what a mole may have looked like. 

Many patients bring before and after shots of the mole for the doctor to examine and these are very helpful.  The doctor may also take photographs of a particular mole. 

I believe examination of individual moles that look suspicious is the most appropriate form of examination and that total body scans are not as useful.  

What are skin cancer - symptoms I should be watchful of while examining myself?

The warning signs, that indicate a mole is abnormal is firstly its appearance, moles that are irritable and stay so for more than three to four weeks for no particular reason such as local rubbing, bleeding, change in colour or a change in shape. 

Individuals, who have a family history of skin cancer, that burn easily or have had a lot of sun exposure or tanning exposure, should have a one to two yearly examination by a medical professional.  Some individuals that have none of these risk factors only need to be seen occasionally.

What is malignant melanomas?

Malignant melanomas are potentially a very dangerous form of skin cancer.  This is so because melanoma cells in the skin do not stick together and tend to spread to other parts of the body easily.  The aggressiveness of a melanoma is often determined by its depth.  This is measured very carefully by the pathologist and in fact, the type of treatment that is given will depend on how deeply a melanoma has penetrated into the skin. 

Some melanomas may be very large and be quite obvious but this is not necessarily the most important factor in determining their seriousness.  Removal and having the mole examined by a pathologist is the best test of how serious a melanoma may be. 

The stages of melanoma are determined by the depth into the skin.  A very early stage melanoma just stays within the surface skin cells but more aggressive melanomas go deeper into the skin.  Some deeper melanomas can spread to other parts of the body. 

How are malignant melanomas treated?

The treatment for melanoma is always, in the first instance, excision.  Whether further investigation is needed depends on its depth.  

If a melanoma goes below a certain depth, it is advisable that local lymph nodes be taken out and examined.  

In deeper melanomas, x-rays, CAT scans PET scans can be carried out to determine if the melanoma has spread elsewhere.

Until recently surgical excision was the most effective treatment.  Over recent years, a number of very successful drug treatments have been discovered, some of which attack the melanoma cells themselves and others which stimulate the immune system to attack the melanoma. 

In some advanced melanomas these treatments have proved very successful however continued vigilance is always necessary. 

In individuals who have a suppressed immune system such as a blood condition such as lymphoma or leukaemia are more prone to develop melanoma.These Individuals may have had sunlight in the past, but as the immune system is diminished, the body’s ability to removal abnormal cells is also diminished.

Individuals that are on immune suppressant drugs for conditions such as transplants are also at increased risk and need to be followed very carefully.