Eight Steps for a Self Skin Check
Jennifer Garner has teamed up with Neutrogena® and Self® magazine to encourage women to examine their skin once a month. It’s a great campaign — if you find a melanoma, a simple skin check could save your life.
Why is it important for everyone to do self skin exams, even young women?
- 1 in every 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
- Melanoma is the most common cancer in 25-29 year-olds.
- Melanoma is the second most common form of cancer in adolescents and young adults, ages 15-29.
- Melanomas are increasing faster in 15-29 year-old females than in males.
- Melanoma is highly curable when detected and treated early.
Skin cancer is there for everyone to see — including you. Everyday patients come to me having already found their skin cancer. It only takes a few minutes and a mirror.
For a full body skin check, you will need:
- A full length mirror
- A hand mirror
- A hair dryer
- A body map such as this one from Self magazine to mark any moles you have. When you repeat your skin exam, compare it to your previous notes. (And guys, if you look like this body, then please see your endocrinologist before your dermatologist — try this body map instead).
Here are eight steps for a complete skin check:
- Start with your scalp. Use the hair dryer to blow the hair apart to see your scalp section by section.
- Examine your face, especially your nose and lips; basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas favor these areas.
- Examine your hands and arms. Start with your fingertips and work up your arms to your trunk. Look at your fingernails as well; brown or black spots or streaks can be melanoma.
- Use the full mirror to check your back including the back of your arms and legs.
- Examine the front of your neck, chest and abdomen. Women should lift each breast to check underneath.
- Use the hand mirror to check the back of your shoulders, arms, underarms, buttocks, and legs.
- Sit down to exam the front of your legs.
- Check your feet including the bottoms, between the toes, and toenails (like you do your fingernails).
Remember you are looking for a mole that has:
- Asymmetry
- Border irregularity
- Color variation
- Diameter larger than six millimeters (larger than a pencil eraser)
- Evolution, or has changed over time
In addition, any spot that bleeds or doesn’t heal over two weeks should be examined by a physician. Post by Jeffrey Benabio, MD
Is it normal for a mole to change during pregnancy?
Are you over-scrubbing your face?
Why do celebrities have cellulite?
Lip gloss might increase risk of skin cancer
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Glossy Lips Might Increase Risk of Cancer
Shiny lips are beautiful. Lip glosses bring out the natural color of your lips, and the shimmery light gives you an irresistibly-kissable look. Lip gloss also, however, allows ultraviolet radiation to penetrate the delicate skin of your lips, increasing the risk for sun damage and even lip cancer later in life.
Data from a study at the University of California Los Angeles suggest that lip gloss increases the risk of skin cancer in women.
Ordinarily some sunlight is reflected off the skin on the lips, so it doesn’t penetrate. Shiny balms and glosses actually allow more of the light to penetrate, potentially causing damage.
Ultraviolet light damage can lead to pre-skin cancer growths such as actinic chelitis (rough scaly lips that never heal), dark spots called solar lentigos, or blebs of dilated blood vessels which form an unattractive purple bump called venus lakes. Ultraviolet light can also lead to a potentially dangerous type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.
Fear not though, glossy-lip girls, there is a simple solution.
Lipsticks and lip balms with sunscreens can protect your lips, even with the lip gloss. Apply a lip balm with SPF of 15 (or preferably SPF of 30 if you are going to be in the sun for more than 30 minutes) before you apply your lip gloss. Some of my patients have liked Kiels SPF 15 lip balm or Eco Lips SPF 30. Then leave the house both looking good and feeling good, knowing that you are protected.
Post written by Jeffrey Benabio, MD
You might also like:
How to Stop a Shaving Nick From Bleeding
Are You Over-Scrubbing Your Face?
How Do Birth Control Pills Help Acne?
Skincare Myths: Plucking Hair Makes it Grow Back Thicker
How to Save Money on Facial Moisturizers: Stop Washing Your Face
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Photo credit: Mary B. Flickr.com
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A new dermatology blog from Dr. Benabio.
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