Risk factors for all types of skin cancer include:

• Unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation
• Fair complexion 
• Blond or red hair
• Childhood freckles
• Over 40 years old
• Living near the equator
• Working outside as your primary job
• Family history
• Multiple or atypical moles
• Severe sunburns as a child

Self Examinations:
It is recommended that once a month you check yourself over to see if there have been any changes in moles, birthmarks or your skin in general.  Once a year it’s important to have a physician look you over and scan for signs of skin cancer.

What to Look for:
Doctors have developed a system to check for what they call the “ABCD’s” of Moles and Melanoma.  Look for these signs that a mole on your body may be something more dangerous:

Asymmetry - Healthy moles are round and symmetrical (if you drew a line through the middle both sides would look about the same).  Melanomas are usually asymmetrical (the sides would not match up if a line were drawn down the middle).

Borders - Melanomas have ragged or notched edges.  Common moles have smooth, even edges.

Colors- Regular moles are one, even color.  One of the first ways you can catch a melanoma is if your mole has various shades of brown, tan and black.  Later, as it develops blue, white and red may also be seen.

Diameter- Diameter is the distance across a circle, or here it basically means the size of your mole.  Melanomas grow bigger than common moles so if one of yours is ¼ inch across or bigger (around the size of a pencil eraser) you may want to get it checked out.

Other Symptoms:
Changes in moles that you have had for a longtime can be a clear indication of skin cancer.  Watch for these changes:

• Size - the mole grows larger
• The skin surrounding the mole might become brown
• Flat moles grow out
• The skin around the mole turns red or swollen
• A smooth mole turns scaly, erodes or oozes (crusting or bleeding is a sign of a more advanced stage of the disease).
• Possible itchiness or tenderness.
• Actinic keratosis. While not a skin cancer, this is another form of skin lesion which is a sign of sun-damaged skin.  In some cases, an untreated actinic keratosis may develop into a squamous cell carcinoma.