Skin Cancer Prevention & Early Detection

Protecting yourself from the sun is important to decrease your risk of skin cancer. It also slows down the appearance of aging.

Closely follow the instructions for applying sunscreen: one application to your entire body will take about 3 ounces (one shot glass). The most common error in using sunscreen is simply not applying enough.

Apply your sunscreen half an hour before going outside. Reapply as directed on the bottle. This should be at least every two hours, and sooner if you’ve been in water or sweating heavily.

Don’t forget to protect these areas and all your exposed skin:  

• Ears 
• Feet 
• Neck 
• Scalp (if your hair is thin)

Sun Protective Clothing

Sun protective clothing is also a good option to consider. Many companies — including Coolibar, Solumbra and REI — make clothing with sun protection built in. You also can wash sun protection into your own clothing at home using your washing machine and a product called SunGuard.

Hats are a good way to protect your head and neck. Broad-brimmed hats are better for this than baseball caps, which leave your ears and the back of your neck exposed.

We encourage you to regularly examine your skin at home for changes or new growths. You should also see a dermatologist for in-office exams.  

We examine your moles during your full skin exam. One way to remember concerning features in moles is ABCDE: 

• A: Asymmetry. Half of your mole looks different than the other half. Normally, the two halves should look the same. 
• B: Border. The mole has an irregular or jagged outline. 
• C: Color. The mole has more than one color, including brown, black, red, white, blue or tan. 
• D: Diameter. The mole is larger than 6 millimeters, about the size of a pencil eraser. 
• E: Evolving. Monitor for a new or changing mole, including one that develops symptoms such as pain, itching or bleeding.

BIDMC dermatologists offer a wide range of skin cancer preventive treatments:

• Blue light photodynamic therapy 
• Cryotherapy 
• Extra screening and treatments for those at high risk for melanoma 
• Pigmented Lesion Clinic

Blue Light Photodynamic Therapy

The BIDMC Phototherapy Unit uses blue light photodynamic therapy to help prevent precancerous skin changes from becoming cancerous.

Pigmented Lesion Clinic

The Pigmented Lesion Clinic is held weekly to provide initial evaluation and follow-up screenings for those at high risk for melanoma. Consider seeking care in this clinic if you fall into these categories:

• Personal history of melanoma 
• Strong family history of melanoma 
• Large number of atypical moles

We use regional photographs and dermoscopy (microscopic exam of the skin) to monitor atypical lesions and identify new lesions over time.

An actinic keratosis is a pre-cancerous spot on the skin. Most people notice it as a small, rough spot that doesn’t go away. If left untreated, some actinic keratoses may go on to become a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.

There are several ways to treat these pre-cancerous spots. Most commonly, we will freeze them with liquid nitrogen in a procedure called cryotherapy. Other treatment options include:  

• Prescription creams. Treat actinic keratoses at home with prescription creams that you apply to your skin for a few weeks. 
• Photodynamic therapy. We perform this procedure in our office.  

With any of these treatments, you can expect your skin to become red and irritated before healing.

If you have a history of skin cancer, you should monitor your skin at home between visits to the dermatology clinic for new, concerning lesions. Skin cancers can appear as new bumps or spots on your skin that don’t go away after a few weeks, are painful or bleed.  

If you notice any new spot on your skin that does not go away after four to eight weeks, please schedule a visit with us as soon as possible. 

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, rest assured that you can rely on our expert team of dermatologists, oncologists and other specialists working together for your care.