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Our skin is the body’s largest organ, providing protection against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. As such, it is important to monitor our skin’s health and watch for any changes or abnormalities that may indicate potential problems. An effective way to keep tabs on the skin is through routine checkups with a dermatologist or skin check clinic like Sundoctors Australia. But how often should you actually go in for these skin cancer screenings?
What the Experts Recommend
Skin cancer experts and dermatological organizations vary a bit on exact timelines for skin check visits, but they generally agree on some baseline frequency recommendations. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that all adults get an annual full-body skin examination. People with risk factors may need to go more often.
Those at higher risk for melanoma and other skin cancers include people with:
- Fair skin, light eyes, and blonde or red hair
- Personal or family history of skin cancer
- History of intense sun exposure or tanning bed use
- Lots of moles or unusual looking moles
The Skin Cancer Foundation specifically advises high risk individuals to get examined every 6 months. Meanwhile those not at increased risk can likely follow the once a year guideline.
Your dermatology provider may customize your skin check timeline based on your age, health profile, signs of sun damage, mole patterns, treatment history, and lifestyle habits. Be sure to discuss your risks and ideal checkup schedule with them.
What Happens During Full Body Skin Exams
Skin check appointments only take about 10 to 15 minutes with a dermatologist. Appointments usually begin with the doctor closely inspecting all areas of your skin from head to toe, including your scalp, between your toes, underarms, genital area, butt, back of the eyes, etc.
They carefully look for any new or changing moles or spots, or other abnormal skin issues like strange rashes, scaly patches, growths, sores, discolorations and more. The goal is to search everywhere for signs of possible skin cancer or other problems.
The dermatologist may use additional equipment like a dermatoscope to magnify and light up particular lesions to analyze traits like shape, clusters of color, symmetry and defined borders that can help differentiate between benign moles and potential cancers.
If any suspicious moles, marks or growths are discovered during your skin check, your doctor may biopsy them and send samples off to be examined under a microscope by a lab technician. Skin biopsies are quick and involve numbing then snipping off all or part of the abnormal skin.
Getting Lab Results
Biopsy results typically take about 1 week to come back. The dermatologist will then schedule a follow up visit to go over pathology reports and next steps if skin cancer cells were detected. Possible treatments for positive biopsy results include surgical excision, immunotherapy creams, laser therapy, or Mohs surgery.
If your skin biopsy tests negative, the doctor will likely recommend you continue getting annual or biannual skin checks depending on your risk profile. They may photograph worrisome marks to monitor for changes at future exams even if they appear non-threatening at the moment.
Tracking Your Own Skin at Home
Skin cancer screenings with a dermatologist provide expert eyes you can rely on to spot early abnormalities and quickly tackle confirmed cases before they spread. Yet in between those scheduled skin check appointments, it is wise to self monitor your skin each month for anything new or changing.
Get familiar with all marks and moles on your body so you notice when some dark spot or rough patch appears that wasn’t there before. Take photos of skin areas with lots of moles so you can compare over time. Use a Body Mole Map template to sketch approximate locations and shapes of moles to track changes.
Signs to keep an eye out for at home include:
- New moles
- Moles that change size, shape or color
- Moles with irregular coloration or jagged borders
- Any spots becoming raised, bleeding, oozing fluid or growing rapidly
- Sores taking longer than 2 weeks to heal
- Rough scaly reddish patches of skin that bleed easily
- Band of darker colored skin around a fingernail or toenail
Be vigilant reporting skin changes to your dermatologist, even if your next scheduled checkup is months away. Catching a potential issue early makes treatment easier.
Protecting Your Skin Year Round
Consistent sun protection and limiting UV exposure are crucial for lowering skin cancer risk between checkups. Seek shade during midday hours when rays are most intense. Generously apply broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen to all sun-exposed areas of skin whenever you go outdoors. Wear wide brim hats, UV blocking sunglasses and sun protective clothing as additional layers of defense.
Getting familiar with your unique skin health pattern while adopting comprehensive sun protection habits allows you to be an informed, proactive advocate for your skin wellbeing all year through. Consistent check ups and self-monitoring work hand in hand to maximize early detection.
