Your skin is your body’s biggest organ, and it’s constantly adapting to protect you. If you get a cut, your skin goes to work to heal itself. When you get some sun, your skin produces more melanin to defend against harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Not all skin changes are beneficial, though. Sometimes, abnormal cells develop and divide, causing skin cancer. Regularly keeping an eye out for problem areas makes it more likely that you’ll catch them early.
When you do, we can remove the cancerous cells here at Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton. As a skin cancer specialist, Rafael C. Cabrera, MD, FACS, determines the right treatment for you, whether that’s a simple biopsy or something more involved like Mohs surgery.
Most skin cancers are curable if you catch the cancer before it has the chance to spread. That’s why Dr. Cabrera and our team encourage you to perform monthly skin cancer self-checks.
Certain parts of your body you see regularly, like your arms and your face. You want to keep an eye out for skin cancer there, of course. But you also want to focus on areas that aren’t as highly visible. Specifically, make sure your skin cancer check includes:
Stand in front of a full-length mirror holding a hand mirror. Using the two mirrors together lets you see the back of your body to check for changing skin spots you might not otherwise notice. Be sure to check areas that get regular sun exposure, such as your shoulders and calves.
While you’ve got the full-length mirror out, check the entire front of your body, too.
Unless you have very short hair, it’s easy to miss skin changes on your scalp. But the sun can get through the strands of your hair to reach the skin there.
While you’re in front of a mirror, tilt your head down and move your hair around to check the top of your head. If you part your hair, be extra diligent when checking the area around your part.
Using two mirrors, check the back of your head, too.
Use your monthly skin cancer check to look at all of the following places. They might seem less obvious, but you can absolutely develop skin cancer:
Checking all of these less-obvious places helps you perform a thorough self-check.
During each monthly check, you want to be on alert for anything that’s different from the previous month. That includes:
If you notice any of these things, schedule a visit to see Dr. Cabrera. He can evaluate the area to determine if skin cancer is present. If it is, he develops a treatment plan for you. If you catch it early enough, that usually just means a simple procedure to remove the abnormal cells.
For dedicated skin cancer care, make an appointment today with Dr. Cabrera by calling Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton.
