May is Melanoma Month
By now you should have gathered that May is melanoma awareness month. But here at Sutton Ryan Dermatology every day is dedicated to melanoma awareness. We spend much of our clinic day dedicated to checking patients for skin cancer. We see many patients annually for a total body skin check.
At a total body skin check the patient is asked to change into a gown at which time we perform a thorough examination of all areas of the skin. We are looking for anything which may be abnormal such as rashes, infections, or suspicious growths. Most people have an average of 30 moles, so therefore we are constantly encountering moles and making a judgement call if these moles are looking suspicious.
A mole may look suspicious to us if it is exhibiting one of these characteristics:
A asymmetry
B irregular border
C multiple shades of brown, or red, white, or blue colors
D diameter, larger than a pencil eraser
E evolving (changing)
For a more detailed explanation of these A,B, C, D, and Es of mole evaluation please refer to the blog written by Sarah Minarick, PA-C on 4-8-2015
If you are over the age of 50 or think you may have a suspicious growth of the skin, please call us at 402-484-9009 for a total body skin check.
– Margaret Kontras Sutton, M.D.
