How to spot skin cancer

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world. But the good news is it’s also the cancer you can actually see on your body. By learning to recognize the warning signs of the disease, you can identify suspicious spots before they become dangerous. Most skin cancers are highly treatable when diagnosed at an early stage, but if left to grow, they can become disfiguring or even deadly. This is why early detection is so important.

“I’ve had many patients point to something they found on their skin and ask, ‘What’s that?’” said Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, president of The Skin Cancer Foundation. “Sometimes it was a person’s partner who pushed them to get a spot checked out. We all have the power to speak up about a suspicious lesion on our own body or the skin

One in five Americans will get skin cancer by age 70.

Anyone can get skin cancer regardless of race, ethnicity or skin tone, but some people are at higher risk than others. People with very fair skin are extremely susceptible to skin damage as well as to skin cancers. People with dark skin tones are generally less vulnerable to UV damage because of the type of melanin darker skin produces, and how it is distributed. However, when they do develop skin cancer, it tends to be found at a more advanced and dangerous stage.

Other risk factors for skin cancer include a history of sunburns, a history of tanning (outside or in a tanning bed) and a family or per-