ABCDE Test: Why This Skin Self-Exam Could Save Your Life
“Early detection of skin cancer is important because it could save lives.”
“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.
Dr. Minkis is a dermatologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, an assistant professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, and an assistant attending dermatologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
1
00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:03.732
(MUSIC)
2
00:00:03.733 --> 00:00:05.666
Early detection of skin cancer's important
3
00:00:05.667 --> 00:00:07.366
because it could save lives.
4
00:00:07.367 --> 00:00:09.232
It could potentially mean the difference
5
00:00:09.233 --> 00:00:11.266
between life and death for somebody,
6
00:00:11.267 --> 00:00:14.699
so most skin cancers could be treated very easily
7
00:00:14.700 --> 00:00:16.499
with an in-office procedure,
8
00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:20.366
whereas advanced skin cancer could potentially be deadly.
9
00:00:20.367 --> 00:00:24.732
(MUSIC)
10
00:00:24.733 --> 00:00:27.932
A self skin exam is what we recommend for patients
11
00:00:27.933 --> 00:00:31.766
to be able to look at their skin and evaluate their skin,
12
00:00:31.767 --> 00:00:33.532
typically on a monthly basis,
13
00:00:33.533 --> 00:00:36.832
and the things that we would like for them to look at
14
00:00:36.833 --> 00:00:41.066
is early detection of melanoma, is the main one,
15
00:00:41.067 --> 00:00:44.266
given the fact that detecting it early could make
16
00:00:44.267 --> 00:00:47.466
a significant difference in how well a patient does.
17
00:00:47.467 --> 00:00:50.099
We talk about the ABCDEs of melanoma
18
00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:53.866
just as kind of a mnemonic for patients to be able
19
00:00:53.867 --> 00:00:56.699
to remember what they should be looking for.
20
00:00:56.700 --> 00:00:59.766
So the A stands for asymmetry,
21
00:00:59.767 --> 00:01:03.232
and basically a normal mole tends to be symmetric,
22
00:01:03.233 --> 00:01:06.232
so if you cut it down the middle, the two halves
23
00:01:06.233 --> 00:01:10.232
would look like one another, whereas if it's asymmetric,
24
00:01:10.233 --> 00:01:13.599
one part could start to change shape,
25
00:01:13.600 --> 00:01:15.832
or the color could become uneven
26
00:01:15.833 --> 00:01:18.599
throughout the mole or the growth.
27
00:01:18.600 --> 00:01:20.966
So the B stands for border,
28
00:01:20.967 --> 00:01:23.366
so a normal mole has a well-defined border
29
00:01:23.367 --> 00:01:25.866
where you could really see where the mole ends
30
00:01:25.867 --> 00:01:27.899
and where the normal skin begins.
31
00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:31.599
When that's obscured, and the border becomes hazy
32
00:01:31.600 --> 00:01:34.799
or fuzzy or not well circumscribed,
33
00:01:34.800 --> 00:01:37.166
the distinction between the mole and the normal skin
34
00:01:37.167 --> 00:01:39.732
around it, that could be a concerning sign.
35
00:01:39.733 --> 00:01:42.766
It could indicate that the mole or the growth
36
00:01:42.767 --> 00:01:45.399
or the cancer's potentially growing on the edges.
37
00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:48.699
It needs to be evaluated further and potentially biopsied.
38
00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:51.732
The C stands for color, so a normal mole
39
00:01:51.733 --> 00:01:57.032
has an even, symmetric color, whereas a abnormal mole
40
00:01:57.033 --> 00:01:59.932
or a melanoma can have variegation in color,
41
00:01:59.933 --> 00:02:02.032
meaning there are different shades of brown,
42
00:02:02.033 --> 00:02:04.766
it could have some black in it, it could have even red
43
00:02:04.767 --> 00:02:06.699
or blue or gray or white.
44
00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:10.332
If there's different shades of color, or uneven color,
45
00:02:10.333 --> 00:02:11.699
it should be evaluated.
46
00:02:11.700 --> 00:02:14.532
The D stands for diameter,
47
00:02:14.533 --> 00:02:19.166
and if a mole or a growth on the skin is larger
48
00:02:19.167 --> 00:02:23.232
than 6 millimeters, which is about equivalent to the size
49
00:02:23.233 --> 00:02:26.299
of a pencil eraser, it could be potentially growing.
50
00:02:26.300 --> 00:02:29.299
It might be a melanoma and needs to be evaluated.
51
00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:33.599
And lastly is E. E stands for evolving,
52
00:02:33.600 --> 00:02:35.532
which essentially means that it's changing,
53
00:02:35.533 --> 00:02:38.532
so a normal mole should stay pretty even.
54
00:02:38.533 --> 00:02:40.099
The exception to that is in children
55
00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:41.499
because children develop new moles
56
00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:44.099
and they could change and mature and grow in size,
57
00:02:44.100 --> 00:02:47.966
but in adults, a mole should not grow or change,
58
00:02:47.967 --> 00:02:50.532
and so if there's any changes to it,
59
00:02:50.533 --> 00:02:53.366
which can sometimes be difficult to monitor,
60
00:02:53.367 --> 00:02:55.532
but that's why we recommend the monthly skin exam
61
00:02:55.533 --> 00:02:57.032
because you kind of get used to looking
62
00:02:57.033 --> 00:02:59.299
at your moles on a regular basis.
63
00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:02.166
I generally recommend a screening, full skin exam,
64
00:03:02.167 --> 00:03:04.632
for almost everybody, at least once a year,
65
00:03:04.633 --> 00:03:07.332
but certainly if you notice any changes to your moles
66
00:03:07.333 --> 00:03:11.399
or any of the ABCDE symptoms, then you should see
67
00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:15.632
a dermatologist and obtain a full-body skin exam.
68
00:03:15.633 --> 00:03:18.900
(MUSIC)
Screening and early detection of melanoma in adults and adulescents. Waltham, MA: UpToDate, 2020. (Accessed on February 27, 2020 at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/screening-and-early-detection-of-melanoma-in-adults-and-adolescents.)
Skin cancer: what are the symptoms? Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Accessed on February 27, 2020 at https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/symptoms.htm.)
What to look for: ABCDEs of melanoma. Schaumburg, IL: American Academy of Dermatology. (Accessed on February 27, 2020 at https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/find/at-risk/abcdes.)