Check your skin for changes
Look over your whole body on a regular schedule for new spots or moles that change, itch or bleed.
- How often
- As needed
- Time
- 10 min
- Recommended for
- 25 factors
How to do it
- Pick a regular reminder, such as the first of the month, and do the check in good light with a full-length mirror and a hand mirror.
- Check your front, back and sides with your arms raised, then your forearms, underarms, palms and fingernails.
- Sit and check the backs of your legs, the soles of your feet, between your toes and your toenails.
- Use the hand mirror for the back of your neck, your scalp (part your hair), your back and your buttocks.
- Look for the ABCDEs: asymmetry, uneven borders, several colors, a diameter bigger than a pencil eraser, and any spot that is evolving. Note spots on a body map so you can compare next time.
Why it helps
Skin cancer found early is highly treatable, and you are the person who sees your skin most often. Regular checks help you notice a new spot or a change in an old one.
Be careful
See a board-certified dermatologist if a spot looks different from your others, or if it changes, itches or bleeds. A self-check is not a substitute for a professional skin exam if you are at high risk.
Recommended for
Alabama
Long, humid summers, strong sun, and ticks most of the year.
placeArizona
Extreme desert heat, intense sun and a lung infection that lives in the dust.
placeArkansas
Tick country with humid summers and a strong southern sun.
hobbyBirdwatching and photography
Long walks outdoors with binoculars or a heavy camera around your neck.
placeCalifornia
Wildfire smoke, valley fever dust, inland heat and year-round sun.
placeColorado
Thin air, stronger sun, high-radon soil and summer smoke.
occupationFarmer
Dawn-to-dusk physical work outdoors, around machines and animals.
occupationFirefighter
Extreme heat, heavy gear, smoke, sleepless shifts and traumatic calls.
hobbyFishing
Long hours by or on the water, in the sun, with hooks and knives.
placeFlorida
Heat and humidity most of the year, high sun, and mold after storms.
placeGeorgia
Humid heat, strong sun, southern ticks and radon around Atlanta.
hobbyGolf
A twisting swing repeated hundreds of times, plus hours in the sun.
placeHawaii
Tropical sun, volcanic smog on the Big Island and leptospirosis in streams.
habitIndoor tanning
Tanning beds, booths and sunlamps for a year-round tan.
placeLouisiana
Gulf humidity, a long mosquito season and mold after floods.
placeMississippi
Long, humid summers, southern ticks and a strong Gulf sun.
placeNevada
Desert heat, high-elevation sun, and a soil fungus kicked up by dust.
placeNew Mexico
Thin air, intense sun, and well water that deserves a test.
hobbyRunning
Thousands of footstrikes a week, mostly through your shins, knees and feet.
placeSouth Carolina
Steamy summers, strong southern sun, and lone star ticks.
hobbySurfing
Paddling, cold water and hours of bright sun reflecting off the sea.
hobbySwimming
Thousands of overhead strokes, chlorinated water and wet ears.
placeTexas
Long, dangerous summer heat, strong sun, and mosquito season.
placeUtah
High elevation, intense sun on snow, and winter inversions.
placeWyoming
High, windy, sun-blasted country with radon under nearly every county.