Skin Surveillance

It is always important to monitor your skin and to see a doctor if you notice that a spot has changed or notice anything else that concerns you.  Most skin spots are not skin cancer and a lot of anxiety may be avoided by seeking prompt expert advice.

Ongoing skin surveillance is particularly important for people who have many freckles, moles, or any other form of sunspots, and for those who have previously had some form of skin cancer. For those who have not had a skin cancer, yearly review is usually all that is required.  In these situations, photography can be a particularly useful way of checking for change in skin spots, especially if there are several of them.  If you have had a skin cancer removed before, then more frequent check-ups are often recommended.  This is to detect any recurrence of the skin cancer in its original location, as well as to detect the appearance of any new skin cancers early.  Unfortunately, once you have had one skin cancer you are more likely to develop further skin cancers.  This is because of the level of sun damage to your skin that has obviously already occurred.