Signs & Symptoms of Skin Cancer - The ABCDE Rule!

It’s no secret that too much fun in the sun can sometimes have some pretty serious consequences. With beach weather upon us, and summer camp trips on the horizon, it’s important to not only protect yourself against the sun’s harmful rays, but to be able to keep an eye out for potential signs and symptoms of skin cancer. To help you stay informed, here are a few things you should know in order to accurately identify potentially dangerous abnormalities on the skin:

As a general rule, you’ll want to keep an eye out for odd-looking moles, sores, lumps, or blemishes on the skin’s surface. However, in order to identify anything unusual, you first have to know what a normal, healthy mole looks like. A normal mole is typically about a quarter of an inch in diameter, can be flat or raised and is brown, tan or black in color. Whether present at birth, or developed over one’s lifetime, once a mole has developed it should stay the same size, shape and color, but can potentially fade away as well.

Now that you’ve got a handle on what a healthy mole will look like you will be able to identify any abnormalities more easily. Let's take a look at the ABCDE rule, a guide used by the American Cancer Society to identify signs of melanoma.

• Asymmetry: Is the birthmark or mole symmetrical all the way around, or does one half not match the other?
• Border: Take a look at the edges of your mole or birthmark. Are they smooth or are they irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred?
• Color: A healthy mole will have similar coloring throughout. Do you notice that coloring is not the same all over, including shades of brown or black, or patches of pink, red, white, or blue?
• Diameter: How large is your birthmark? Since a normal birthmark is about ¼ of an inch in diameter, you’ll want to check out any moles that are larger or smaller than the norm.
• Evolving: Has your mole changed in size, shape, or color? This can be an indicator that there may be something malignant present.

If you recognize abnormalities and think that you may be showing symptoms of skin cancer or melanoma, alert your doctor right away!

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, our doctors are trained to treat melanoma and other skin cancers with sentinel node techniques. If you or someone you know suspects that they may need skin surgery, or have already been diagnosed with melanoma, our surgeons can help. Call 631-321-6801 to schedule your consultation today.