"You are the best person to notice an early change in your skin, so doing monthly skin self-exams are an important DIY and can be a lifesaver. Anyone can do a self-exam."
So: You're naked in front of the mirror. Now what? Scarlett Boulos, a Texas-based board-certified dermatologist and spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation, recommends grabbing a hand mirror, two chairs or stools, and a blow-dryer to get yourself fully set up. Once you know what to look for, start by using one or both mirrors to examine your face, especially the nose, lips, mouth, and ears, says Boulos. From there, inspect the scalp, using the blow-dryer to expose each section of the scalp in turn. Next, check the hands: palms, back of the hands, between the fingers, and under the fingernails. Then examine the front and back of the forearms.
Even if you've been keeping up with your monthly self-exams, dermatologists still recommend seeing a physician for a professional check-in. "A self-check is an important early screening tool to recognize new lesions or changing lesions usually noticed by the patient. But a dermatologic exam is important because we usually pick up on things that the normal person wouldn't pick up on their own," says Hayag.
My aunt discovered one of her moles had changed. She got diagnosed with skin cancer and thankfully they are giving her a good chance since it was caught early enough.