The regular self-observation of the skin gives you the chance to detect skin cancer at an early stage. The advantage of detecting malignant diseases of the skin is that they can be seen and felt. The earlier skin cancer is detected, the better the chances of cure.
If anything seems suspicious or you have doubts about whether a birthmark is benign, ask your trusted doctor. This is best done immediately.
As an additional measure, you can test your personal skin cancer risk with the following checklist. Check off what applies to you and decode the result with the risk breakdown.
• In the sun, my skin tans quite quickly.
• Moles? I don’t have any.
• Moles? I have them. But they haven’t changed for a while.
• My moles are smaller than 2 mm.
! I have a very fair skin type and lots of freckles.
! I have more than 40 moles (= pigment marks, liver spots).
! I get sunburned easily.
! I have moles that are larger than 2 mm.
!!! I have a congenital birthmark that is larger than 2 cm.
!!! I have a mole that has recently appeared.
!!! I feel like there’s something wrong with one of my moles.
•Your melanoma risk is not increased.
! Your risk is increased. Monitor yourself regularly and watch for any changes – especially in size.
!!! Your risk is greatly increased. That can be dangerous.
Please have the affected area of skin looked at by a dermatologist as soon as possible.
If detected in time, all types of skin cancer can be treated and cured well. Men and women over the age of 35 should register for an annual examination of the entire body surface (skin cancer screening) with their dermatologist.
Furthermore, the smartphone app SkinScreener offers a fast, accurate and reliable way to determine your personal risk of skin changes with an app. Anytime, anywhere.
You are in your skin for life!
