The ABC (D And E) Of Skin Cancer

The sun can have serious consequences all year round when it comes to skin damage. The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay has the ABCs of skin cancer detection and prevention.

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun raises the risk of skin cancer later in life. The type of skin cancer that we worry about most is malignant melanoma, which can spread inside the body and kill you. Other kinds of skin cancer like basal cell cancer are much less dangerous than melanoma. The good news is that skin cancer is a visible cancer, and when melanoma is detected early and treated, it's very curable.

Risk factors include: a family history of skin cancer, people who have lots of moles on their bodies, and people who have had sunburns and sun exposure over their lifetime. People who have fair skin are at higher risk than those with darker skin pigmentation.

Warning Signs
Everyone should be on the lookout for what we call the ABCs of skin cancer detection.

A is for "asymmetry" - When you're looking at moles, you want to tell your doctor or dermatologist about moles that are asymmetric, or unevenly shaped and not the same size on all sides.

B is for "border irregularity" - Moles are suspicious if they have an irregular shape or fade into the background.

C is for "color" - You should check for moles that are more than one color. An even dark brown is considered normal. But moles that have multiple colors in them or black, red, white or pink moles are more worrisome.

D is for "diameter" - Moles greater than six millimeters, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, should be examined.

E is for "evolving" - Some experts are now adding a letter to the ABCs, which is an E for "evolving." Any changes you notice over time in a mole or a skin lesion with respect to size, color and shape should be evaluated promptly by your dermatologist. If a mole is changing color or shape or it's smaller than a pencil eraser diameter and getting bigger, it should be examined by a dermatologist. Other changes in moles like inflammation, pain, crusting or bleeding should also be examined, but not all changes in moles mean it's malignant melanoma.

The best way to prevent skin cancer is to stay out of the sun. If you do expose your skin to the sun, you need to wear sunscreen of SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher.

Sunscreen is the most important and the simplest way to protect yourself. But it's important to remember that SPF is not complete protection. SPF refers to the amount of extra time you can spend in the sun without burning, so an SPF of 15 theoretically means you can spend 15 times longer in the sun than normal.

Sun exposure is cumulative, so to make sure the protection is constant, apply it on a daily regular basis whether or not you're outside all the time.