Remember…if found early enough, most skin cancers can be treated and cured.

Consult your health care provider immediately if you notice that a mole has one or more of the following features. The Skin Surgery Clinic also offers free skin cancer checks.

KNOW YOUR MOLES The best way to find skin cancer early is to examine your skin monthly and have a health care professional examine it every two years if you’re between 20 and 40 years old, and each year after you turn 40. For all fair skinned adults in NZ, annual checks are recommended. Individuals at high risk may be advised to see their doctor more frequently.

Know your own moles, freckles and birthmarks and watch for changes in their number, size, shape or color.

• Use a mirror to check your face, ears, neck, chest and stomach. Check the front and back of your arms and the tops and palms of your hands.
• Sit down. Check your shins, the front of your thighs, tops of your feet and between your toes. Look at the bottom of your feet, your calves and the back of your thighs.
• Stand up: Use a mirror to check your buttocks, lower back, upper back and the back of your neck.
• Ask your stylist or barber to check your scalp.

“Learn Your ABC’s of Melanoma”

"A”  for Asymmetry. Melanoma won’t be a perfect shape. It will grow and change shape over time.

“B”  for Border. This will be irregular.

“C”  for Colour. Also irregular. Nearly all melanomas are black or brown, but some parts are darker than others and the colour changes.

“D” for the Diameter. Melanomas are bigger than freckles, generally exceeding 5mm. (Size must not be considered in isolation)

OTHER WARNING SIGNS

• A spot on the skin that is changing in size, shape or color.
• An ulcer that does not heal or a sore that has been present for months.
• Spread of pigment (dark colour or reddish colour) from the edge of a spot to nearby skin.
• Symptoms—itchiness, tenderness or pain.
• Change in the surface of a mole—scaliness, oozing, bleeding or the appearance of a bump.

Pictures of Superficial Melanomas