The key to treating melanoma is recognizing it early using the ABCDE method of detection.   In addition to monthly self-exams, get a yearly body check from a dermatologist.   Attend a Melanoma Know More FREE Skin Cancer Screening Clinic.

The ABCDE system may help you remember features that might be a symptom of a melanoma location.


asymmetry

asymmetry

A Is for Asymmetry

One half of the abnormal area is different from the other half.


borders

borders

B Is for Border

The lesion or growth has irregular edges.


colors

colors

C Is for Color

Color is varied from one area to another, with shades of tan, brown, or black (sometimes white, red, or blue). A mixture of colors may appear within one lesion.


diameter

diameter

D Is for Diameter

The trouble spot is usually (but not always) larger than 6 mm in diameter – about the size of a pencil eraser.


evolution of asymmetry, borders, colors, or diameter

evolution

E Is for Evolution

The skin lesion that looks different from the rest is changing its size, shape or color.


MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

If you are facing a delay in seeing a Dermatologist:

Schedule an appointment at a Melanoma Know More FREE Skin Cancer Screening Clinic.

Tell the receptionist at your dermatologist that you are concerned about possible melanoma and that you need to be seen quickly.

Know that general and plastic surgeons are also trained in safe removal of moles and early melanomas.

Try a hospitals’s pigmented lesion clinic, melanoma center, or dermatology department in which you can make an appointment with a dermatologist without a referral.

Some hospitals offer Mole Exam Days frequently, where anyone can be examined (You must call in advance).

Contact your local hospital’s dermatology departments directly or the American Academy of Dermatology (888-462-3376) for information.