March 3, 2020 |

ABCDE Test: Why This Skin Self-Exam Could Save Your Life

“Early detection of skin cancer is important because it could save lives.”

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“Early detection of skin cancer [is] important because it could save lives,” says Kira Minkis, MD, PhD, dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork Presbeterian. “It could potentially mean the difference between life and death for somebody, so most skin cancers could be treated very easily with an in-office procedure, whereas advanced skin cancer could potentially be deadly.”

One way you can help detect skin cancer early on your own is by doing a skin self-exam. Evaluating your own skin on a monthly basis can help you monitor any potential spots, so you can reach out to a physician the moment you notice something concerning.

If you’re not sure what to look for, think of the “ABCDEs of melanoma.” This letter pattern can help you remember what to look for when checking your skin for melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Here’s how to use the ABCDE skin check:

A stands for asymmetry: A normal, healthy mole is typically symmetrical, but melanoma growths tend to have uneven shapes.
B stands for border: “A normal mole has a well-defined border where you could really see where the mole ends and where the normal skin begins,” says Dr. Minkis. Melanoma growths, on the other hand, may have blurred or fuzzy borders between the mole and the normal skin around it.
C stands for color: A normal mole is typically all one color and in some even shade of brown or pink, whereas melanoma growths can have uneven or asymmetrical color and contain colors like red, blue, black, or white.
D stands for diameter: “If a mole or a growth on the skin is larger than 6 millimeters, which is about equivalent to the size of a pencil eraser … it might be a melanoma and needs to be evaluated,” says Dr. Minkis.
E stands for evolving: “A normal mole should stay pretty even,” says Dr. Minkis. “The exception to that is in children because children develop new moles, and they could change and mature and grow in size, but in adults, a mole should not grow or change.” A mole that’s evolving in shape, size, or color could potentially indicate melanoma.

In addition to skin self-exams, it’s recommended to see a dermatologist once a year for a skin cancer screening; however, “if you notice any changes to your moles or any of the ABCDE symptoms, then you should see a dermatologist and obtain a full-body skin exam,” says Dr. Minkis.

Medical Contributors:

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Early detection of skin cancer's important

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because it could save lives.

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It could potentially mean the difference

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between life and death for somebody,

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so most skin cancers could be treated very easily

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with an in-office procedure,

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whereas advanced skin cancer could potentially be deadly.

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A self skin exam is what we recommend for patients

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to be able to look at their skin and evaluate their skin,

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typically on a monthly basis,

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and the things that we would like for them to look at

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is early detection of melanoma, is the main one,

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given the fact that detecting it early could make

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a significant difference in how well a patient does.

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We talk about the ABCDEs of melanoma

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just as kind of a mnemonic for patients to be able

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to remember what they should be looking for.

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So the A stands for asymmetry,

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and basically a normal mole tends to be symmetric,

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so if you cut it down the middle, the two halves

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would look like one another, whereas if it's asymmetric,

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one part could start to change shape,

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or the color could become uneven

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throughout the mole or the growth.

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So the B stands for border,

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so a normal mole has a well-defined border

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where you could really see where the mole ends

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and where the normal skin begins.

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When that's obscured, and the border becomes hazy

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or fuzzy or not well circumscribed,

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the distinction between the mole and the normal skin

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around it, that could be a concerning sign.

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It could indicate that the mole or the growth

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or the cancer's potentially growing on the edges.

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It needs to be evaluated further and potentially biopsied.

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The C stands for color, so a normal mole

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has an even, symmetric color, whereas a abnormal mole

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or a melanoma can have variegation in color,

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meaning there are different shades of brown,

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it could have some black in it, it could have even red

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or blue or gray or white.

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If there's different shades of color, or uneven color,

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it should be evaluated.

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The D stands for diameter,

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and if a mole or a growth on the skin is larger

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than 6 millimeters, which is about equivalent to the size

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of a pencil eraser, it could be potentially growing.

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It might be a melanoma and needs to be evaluated.

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And lastly is E. E stands for evolving,

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which essentially means that it's changing,

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so a normal mole should stay pretty even.

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The exception to that is in children

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because children develop new moles

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and they could change and mature and grow in size,

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but in adults, a mole should not grow or change,

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and so if there's any changes to it,

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which can sometimes be difficult to monitor,

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but that's why we recommend the monthly skin exam

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because you kind of get used to looking

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at your moles on a regular basis.

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I generally recommend a screening, full skin exam,

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for almost everybody, at least once a year,

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but certainly if you notice any changes to your moles

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or any of the ABCDE symptoms, then you should see

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a dermatologist and obtain a full-body skin exam.

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