Luckily, I have not had skin cancer. I have had at least 10 moles removed from my body, and others partially removed in order to test for skin cancer. This is because my body is covered with atypical moles, making it more likely that I will develop melanoma. Of all those moles, I can remember two of them being normal after they were tested. Almost every single one was weird – but not malignant.

When this first became a concern of my doctor’s, I was sent to specialists at a Boston hospital. Photos were taken of my entire body, and I was told that essentially all of my moles should be removed. About half of them were. Today, a combination of self examinations and sun protection are saving me from having to have more removed. In my case, my abnormal moles are normal for me.

In order to protect yourself from skin cancer, it is important that you know what is normal for you. Self examinations really are easy. As easy as ABCD:

A - asymmetry (one half does not match the other half)

B - border (edges are uneven in shape or color)

C - color (color is uneven or multiple colors exist)

D - diameter (any larger than a pencil eraser)

If anything looks or feels weird, it might be worthwhile to have your doctor check it out. If it’s always been weird, anything weirder might be a warning sign. It literally does take about 10 minutes a month. And it could save your life.

(Source: dcmf.ca)