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1
Get a
Baseline
Screening
“I advise everyone
ages 18 and up to
get a full-body
check to map out
their moles,” says
Carolyn Jacob,
MD, of Chicago
Cosmetic Surgery
and Dermatology.
It’ll help you
track any changes
and help your
doc assess risk
factors, like family
history and
number of moles
(more than
50 ups your odds
of melanoma).2
Perform
Self-Checks
While you’re doing
your monthly
breast self-exam
(you do those,
right?), take a few
minutes to survey
every inch of your
body. Use a mirror
to see your back,
scalp, and the
back of your neck.
If you’re African-
American,
Hispanic, or
Asian, pay special
attention to
the palms of your
hands and the
soles of your
feet—hot spots
for an especially
dangerous form
of melanoma.i wa s six months pregnant when I spotted
a tiny brown dot on my right calf. It didn’t
seem like much, but for months, I monitored
it for changes. When it got slightly darker, I
had a couple of other dermatologists eyeball
it. I asked, “Am I being crazy?” They all
agreed it was nothing to worry about.
But it nagged at me. So despite thinking
I was being dramatic, I did a biopsy myself
and sent it off to the lab. That night, the
pathologist left me a voice mail. We played
phone tag for three excruciating hours
while I worried about how I’d take care of an
infant and a toddler if I needed aggressive
cancer treatment. Even though I was expect
ing the worst, it was still a punch in the gut
to learn I had melanoma.
Luckily, the mole was tiny—only 2 milli
meters and thin (thicker melanomas are
deadlier). I got it removed and was essentially
cured...until a few years later, when I found
another melanoma on my leg.
I blame the tanning salons I visited when
I was younger. Today, there’s overwhelming
evidence that tanning beds increase skin can
cer risk. Using them before age 35 ups your
risk of developing melanoma by almost 60
percent, and the risk increases with each use.
It scared the hell out of my colleagues that
they’d missed my cancer. It changed the way
they practice—and it changed me too. Now, I
think everything looks suspicious. I’ve had 15
different biopsies. I also listen more closely
when a patient says something doesn’t seem
right, even if nothing looks worrisome. Most
melanomas grow and spread slowly, so if
caught early, they aren’t necessarily fatal.
I tell my patients to visit the derm once a
year but to look at their own moles once
a month. You’ll notice if something seems
off over time. Always trust your gut.Even my colleagues
didn’t think it was
melanoma.”
HOW TO SAVE
YOUR OWN LIFE
Staying vigilant about
your skin pays off: Nearly
70 percent of women
with a first-time melanoma
notice it themselves.BODY
—ELIZABETH TANZI, MD
dermatologist and director of Capital Laser and Skin
Care, in Chevy Chase, Maryland3
Know Your
ABCDEs
Call your derm
immediately if
you notice a mole
with any of these
signs: Asymme-
try (the mole’s
halves don’t
match); uneven
Border (its edges
look scalloped or
irregular); Color
(it has gradations
in shades); Diam-
eter (generally,
the larger it is, the
more concern-
ing); or Evolving
(it changes in
shape, color, or
size or starts to
itch or bleed).4
Don’t Take
No for an
Answer
If your doctor
can’t name a
growth (e.g.,
“that’s a benign
seborrheic
keratosis”), ask
for a biopsy,
because you
know your body
best. “I’ve never
had a patient
be wrong when
they’ve insisted
on a biopsy,” says
Dr. Jacob. If your
derm is hesitant
to give you a
scar, “let them
know that you still
want the biopsy,”
says Ellen
Marmur, MD, a
dermatologist.