See your doctor as soon as you can if a mole:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Cancer Research UK.
Melanoma overview.
February 2009. Available at http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=141 (accessed on 18 August 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

If you're a woman, you're most likely to get a melanoma on your leg. If you're a man, you're most likely to get a melanoma on your chest or back.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Cancer Research UK.
CancerStats key facts on skin cancer.
July 2008. Available at http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ (accessed on 18 August 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

² But these are just the most common places that melanomas appear. When you check your skin, you should examine your whole body.

If you are at all worried about a mole, see your doctor as soon as you can.

You should check the moles on your body regularly to see if they have changed.

When you're checking your moles:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Cancer Institute.
What you need to know about skin cancer.
Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin (accessed on 18 August 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³

There's an easy way to remember what to look for. Just think of ABCD.

A stands for asymmetry. This means that the mole isn't round and even like a circle.

B stands for border. A normal mole has a smooth border. The moles you need to watch out for are the ones with jagged edges or notches in the edges.

C stands for color. If your mole is several different colors, you should get it checked out. You should be suspicious if your mole has many colors, such as black, tan, red, blue and white.

D stands for diameter, which is the distance from one side of the mole to the other. Look out for moles that are wider than a pencil eraser. But remember: the smaller a melanoma is when you find it, the better your chances of getting rid of it.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Guill CK, Orengo I.
Cutaneous malignant melanoma.
Dermatology Nursing. 2001; 13: 210-213.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

Some melanomas will fit all of the ABCDs. But some will fit only one or two.

Sometimes a mole may fit some of the ABCDs but not be a melanoma. These types of moles are called atypical moles. An atypical mole may be more likely to become a melanoma.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Cancer Institute.
What you need to know about skin cancer.
Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin (accessed on 18 August 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³ If you're not sure about anything you find on your skin, it's a good idea to have it checked.

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