The practice has seen an increase of patients concerned about their moles, if you have moles on your skin, you probably know you should be checking them. But perhaps you don’t know what you should be looking for. Or maybe you’re worried about a mole that looks different from the rest (doctors call this an ugly duckling, because it stands out compared to other moles). Follow this simple guide to your moles and boost your checking confidence!
Why checking moles is so important
The reason why it’s important to check your moles is that they can change into a type of cancer called melanoma. Melanoma is the third most common skin cancer in the UK. The good news is, the earlier it’s spotted and treated, the better the outlook is.
Know your risk of skin cancer
Firstly, think about whether you’re more likely to develop skin cancer than other people. Most people know that getting sunburn increases the chances of getting skin cancer. But there are other things that increase your risk too, including if you:
- have fair hair and eyes, lots of freckles or pale skin that burns easily
- expose your skin to the sun every now and again, rather than most of the time
- use a sun bed
- have lots of moles – more than 11 moles on your right arm means you’re likely to have more than 100 moles on your whole body
- have large moles bigger than 6mm
- have had a melanoma before, or if a close relative has had one
- are taking medicines that affect your immune system
How to check your moles
There are no hard and fast rules the GP’s can share for how often you should check your moles. But if you tick several things on the list above then it’s a good idea to check yourself once a month. The better you get to know your skin, the more likely you are to see any changes.
- Stand in a well-lit room.
- Use a full-length mirror and a hand mirror to check your body all over.
- Make sure you check hard to see places such as your back, buttocks and scalp. If you have a partner, they can check moles in these places for you as well.
- Check the less obvious places too, like your underarms, in between your fingers and the soles of your feet.
What you’re looking for when you check your moles
You’re looking for new moles, or changes in the size, colour, or shape of an existing mole. There’s a useful way of remembering what to look for; the ABCDEFG. It stands for:
A – Asymmetry. Do both halves of the mole look the same? An asymmetrical mole should be shown to your doctor
B – Border. Is the edge of the mole uneven or blurred? A mole with uneven border should be shown to your doctor
C – Colour. Is the mole a mix of different shades or colours? Moles with two or more colours should be shown to your doctor
D – Diameter. Is it bigger than 6mm from side to side? (As a tip, the end of a pencil is about 5mm across). Moles larger than 5mm should be shown to your doctor
E – Elevation – Mole becomes raised or solid. A mole that is becoming raised should be shown to your doctor
F – Firm – A mole that feels firm or solid should be shown to your doctor
G – Growing – A mole that is showing signs of change should be shown to your doctor
There are a few other important things the Doctors ask to look out for: itching and bleeding or crusting. If a mole starts to bleed and you haven’t injured it then you should get it checked as soon as you can.
What to do if you’re worried about a mole
If you’re worried about any of your moles, then you should always contact the surgery and get them checked by our doctors and if needed, they can refer you to the Dermatology department at RBH or your local hospital.
Whether you have two or two hundred moles, it’s important to take care of your skin. Always seek shade in the middle of the day, wear a long-sleeved top, trousers, a hat and sunglasses and use a high protection sunscreen. And keep checking those moles too!