A closer look at your skin

Skin cancer is the No.1 cancer in the UK. More than 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.

Luckily, most skin cancers can be stopped if detected early. The best way to protect yourself is to check your skin regularly, but a recent survey found that half of Britons could not recognise the signs of possible skin cancer. A quarter have never checked their skin.

What to do

Check all of your skin regularly for changes to any moles, or new areas of pigmentation.

Melanoma

The most deadly, but thankfully least common, type of skin cancer. About a third of melanomas develop on an existing mole, while the rest appear as a new mole or area of pigmentation. Get to know the moles you already have and keep an eye out for any that change, but also monitor any new moles.

Basal cell carcinoma

The most common type of skin cancer. As these are painless, people often first become aware of them as a scab that bleeds occasionally and does not heal completely.

Some basal cell carcinomas are very superficial and look like a scaly, red, flat mark.

Others have a pearl-like rim surrounding a central crater. If left for years, the latter type can eventually erode the skin causing an ulcer. Other basal cell carcinomas are quite lumpy, with one or more shiny nodules crossed by small but easily seen blood vessels.

Squamous cell carcinoma

The second most common type of skin cancer, this usually appears as a scaly or crusty area of skin, with a red, inflamed base. Most are not painful.

For further guidance on checking your skin, see the ABCDE rules.