How to Examine Your Skin
The following skin self-exam animation from Understand.com provides step-by-step instructions for performing a skin self-exam.
- First inspect your hands, including the tops of your hands, your fingernails, your palms, and the skin between your fingers.
- Next, stand in front of a full length mirror and examine your face and ears.
- Part your hair to ensure you can clearly see your scalp.
- Continue by inspecting your neck, chest, and torso; women should check under their breasts as well.
- Lift your arms to examine your underarms, elbows, and the front and back sides of your arms.
- Proceed by turning your back toward the full length mirror, and use a small handheld mirror to inspect your neck, shoulders, back, buttocks, and the back side of your legs.
- To complete the exam, sit in a chair and examine your genitals, the front side of your legs, and your feet, including the tops of your feet, your toenails, heels, soles, and the skin between your toes.
The purpose of a skin self exam is to identify any patches of skin that may be indicative of skin cancer. The three most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma.
The animation also walks through the ABCDEs of melanoma detection and cover the importance of recording your findings with a body mole map and discussing your findings with your doctor.
