Skin Cancer remains as one of the most common forms of cancer out there. We love to sit in the sun, and we desire a tanned, sexy body, but the ramifications of too much sunlight can be dire. The good news about skin cancer is that if you catch it early enough, it’s almost entirely treatable. The key to finding cancer cells early is to have regular skin exams by your doctor. Westover Hills Dermatology is more than willing to conduct your skin exams and provide advice if anything scary comes up.

Call our office today and schedule your consultation about having regular skin exams.

Skin Exams

Examining your skin isn’t just checking your skin for new moles, it’s a thorough process of analyzing your skin’s texture and look. There are a few common things our medical team looks out for when conducting a skin exam. Some of the things we look for are:

• Basal cell carcinomas: This is a form of skin cancer that appears as pale, yellow skin patches similar to scars. They can also take the form of reddish bumps, pink spots and can resemble a scar.
• Squamous cell carcinomas: This type of skin cancer is often confused with eczema or rosacea since their symptoms are so similar. Red, itchy, bumpy patches appear on the skin along with skin bumps that resemble warts. These bumps may also ooze and resemble an open sore that won’t properly heal.
• Actinic keratosis: These are sometimes confused with cancer cells, and have the ability to turn into cancer, but are often non-cancerous. They appear in areas that see a lot of sun (face, neck, arms, etc.) and look like thin, scaly scars.

Why are Professional Skin Exams Important?

It’s important to conduct skin exams at home, but you can only see so much of your body at one time. For harder to see areas, such as the back, legs, rear and neck, it’s a good idea to have a medical professional look them over. Exams should be given once a month in your home, and at least six times a year.

Skin exams reveal a lot of information about your skin, and it takes a medical professional to interpret it.  There are plenty of skin issues that have the same look and feel as one another, and you don’t want to misdiagnose yourself.  What you think is a simple mole or scar could be the beginning of cancer. On the other end, what you think is cancer could easily be a benign cyst or actinic keratosis. If you have any doubts over something on your skin, call our offices and schedule an appointment right away.

When Should I Schedule My Appointment?

Right away! If it’s been months, or even years, since your last skin exam, you should have your skin looked at by a professional. Once your skin is examined, we can talk about scheduling regular appointments for skin exams.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that regular skin exams can save your life. If you’ve been putting off your skin exam, call our office and schedule your skin exam consultation right away!