Checking your skin
Inspect your skin on a regular basis. Here are the 8 steps of checking your skin as recommended by the Australasian College of Dermatologists:
1 |
Examine your face especially the nose, lips, mouth and ears – front and back. Use one or two mirrors to get a clear view. |
5 | Next, focus on the neck, chest and torso. Women should lift their breasts to view the underside |
| 2 | Thoroughly inspect your scalp, using a blow-dryer and mirror to expose each section. Get a friend or family member to help. |
6 | With your back to the full length mirror, use a hand mirror to inspect the back of your neck, shoulders, upper back and any part of your upper arms that you could not see in step 4. |
| 3 | Check your hands, palms and backs, between the fingers and under the fingernails. Then check the wrists and the front and back of the forearms. |
7 | Still using two mirrors, scan your lower back, buttocks, and the backs of both legs. |
| 4 | Standing in front of a full-length mirror, begin at the elbows and scan all sides of your upper arms and underarms. |
8 | Sit down; prop each leg in turn on a stool and use the hand mirror to check your genitals. Check front and sides of both legs , thigh to shin; ankles, tops of feet, between toes and under toenails. |
What are you looking for?
Any mole or freckle which changes over a period of months, particularly if it grows in size, changes shape, becomes mottled in colour and irregular in outline. Persistent itch in a mole may be a significant indicator. Don’t wait until a changing flat mole becomes lumpy or bleeds. The more common skin cancers will show up as new lumps or red areas in the skin. They will often bleed easily when rubbed with a towel, and they may ulcerate (turn into a sore that doesn’t heal). Photographs of any suspicious areas can be useful to record any changes. Skin cancers do not usually cause pain.
