As the summer starts to wrap up, it’s a good idea to look over your body to see any skin changes from sun exposure. “I would suggest starting with a baseline skin self-exam done at home (and with assistance from a mirror and/or partner) to really learn the patterns of your own skin,” explains U.S. Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Asha Patel Shah. “That way, when something changes, you can compare it to your own known baseline.”
The acronym “ABCDE” can help as you do your body scan:
- Asymmetry - Half of the lesion or mole looks different than the other half.
- Border - The edges are “irregular, notched or poorly defined.”
- Color - The color may be different from your other moles, or there might be several colors within one spot.
- Diameter - It’s wider than a quarter-inch, or about the size of a pencil eraser.
- Evolving - The size, shape or color changes over time.
Dr. Patel Shah recommends paying close attention to nine types of skin changes
- A growth, sore or lesion that doesn’t heal or keeps reopening after healing, or bleeds
- A rough, dry patch that’s resistant to moisturizers
- A quickly-growing new lump, bump or growth that might be sore or painful
- Wart-like growths that may be painful or sore
- Pigmented spots that are asymmetrical, have irregular borders or color changes
- Pigmented lesions on “special sites,” like palms or soles
- Dark, uneven or wide streaks in the fingernail
- Any place on the skin that’s always itchy, sore, tender, painful and/or bleeding
- “Widespread, treatment-resistant skin conditions resembling eczema”