How To Do Monthly Skin Checks Video

Everyone should do a monthly skin check for moles and other irregularities. Learn some tips as to how in this video.

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Look everywhere on your body
Have someone else examine your back
If something looks irregular see a dermatologist

About this Author

Lisa Rhodes, M.D. received her medical degree from the University of Texas Health and Science Center in San Antonio, where she graduated valedictorian. She completed her dermatology residency at North Western University in Chicago and currently works in Austin, Texas. Her favorite part of her job is diagnosing skin conditions and treating them in order to help patients live better lives.

DR. LISA RHODES: Hi, I'm Dr. Lisa Rhodes with Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. It is important that everyone does monthly self-skin checks. I recommend that you look at yourself from head to toe, spread your hair apart, use mirrors to look behind your ears, look in your mouth, spread your buttocks apart, spread your toes, and look everywhere for moles. Have someone look at your back and examine the moles back there that are harder for you to see. When you're doing yourself skin check, it is important to look for the ABCDE's of melanoma. These are worrisome signs that should draw your attention to the mole, and if you see any of these, I would definitely recommend going to see a dermatologist. The A is for asymmetry where one half of the mole doesn't look like the other. B stands for border. So if you have an irregular border or smudged border on the edge, you definitely look at that mole closely. C stands for color, which is color variation. You want your mole to have one nice, even color. If it has multiple colors in it, it deserves a close look. D is diameter. Any mole bigger than the end of a pencil eraser should be examined closely. And E stands for evolution and elevation. Elevation meaning if one part of the mole is raised, and the other part is not, it deserves a close look. And evolution means change. So any mole that is changing definitely should be looked up by a dermatologist.

How to Do Monthly Skin Checks Video

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