How Often Should I Have My Body Checked for Skin Cancer?

Florida is known as the Sunshine State, and for good reason: We’re blessed with plenty of sunshine year round, and that means we also enjoy lots of time in outdoor pursuits, basking in the warmth of the sun’s rays.

Unfortunately, plenty of sun exposure also increases your risk of skin cancer, the most common cancer among Americans. Every day, roughly 10,000 people are diagnosed with skin cancer, and two people die of the disease every hour, on average.

Having skin cancer screenings at Luminary Dermatology is one of the best ways to detect skin cancer early in its most treatable stage. But how often should you be screened? Here’s what our team wants you to know.

The importance of regular screenings

Skin cancer happens when ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun (or a tanning bed) penetrates your skin where it’s absorbed by your skin’s cells. The radiation acts on your skin’s DNA, altering it and changing the way your skin cells grow and divide, leading to skin cancer tumors.

Many people think skin cancer only happens in areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun. But because UV radiation acts on skin’s DNA, you can develop skin cancer anywhere — even in areas that are never exposed to sunlight.

Skin cancer can be difficult to detect on your own, with lesions masquerading as tiny moles, pimples, or scaly patches easily attributed to other potential causes. Delays in detection and treatment enable those lesions to grow larger and deeper, meaning treatment can become far more complicated and even less successful.

Because skin cancer becomes more common with age and because it’s difficult to detect on your own, most people benefit from an annual skin cancer screening to look for unusual lesions and other skin changes that need to be evaluated further. If you have risk factors for skin cancer, like a family history of the disease or significant sun exposure in your past, you may need to be screened more frequently.

What to expect during your exam

Fortunately, screening is completely painless and quick. For your appointment, you’ll change into a medical gown to make it easier for us to evaluate your skin. It’s important to remove makeup and nail polish prior to your visit, and wear your hair down so we can evaluate your scalp.

During your screening, we’ll examine your skin from head to toe — literally — looking for unusual changes that could indicate an early stage of cancer. If we note any unusual areas of skin, we typically take a tiny tissue sample (a biopsy) for further evaluation in a lab.

Skin sampling occurs in different ways, but in every case, we numb your skin first to keep you comfortable. Afterward, we place a small bandage over the area to protect it while it heals. Lab results are typically available within a week. Depending on your results, we may schedule another visit to remove additional tissue or discuss other treatment options.

Schedule your screening today

Having an annual skin cancer exam is a life-saving habit you can adopt today. To schedule your screening, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Luminary Dermatology in Arcadia, Miami, Bradenton, Homestead, Sarasota, Venice, Longboat Key, and Northport, Florida, today.