Your skin remembers sun exposure from the time you were a baby. It accumulates and shows up in later years.

Dr. Germain recommends people begin routine check ups in their 20s, especially if there is a family history of skin cancer. 

Patients visiting the dermatologist for the first time will go through a full-body screening.

“We check them from head to toe,” Dr. Germain says they also teach patients how to do a self-check by “standing in front of a full-length mirrors with no clothes on, look at the front of them, back of them, underarms, private area, palms, soles, everywhere.”

Don’t forget to check your head. Have your hair dresser check when you go to the salon next. What should be looking for?

Dr. Germain says spots that are brown, black, red, or flesh-colored. Women should also be checked when they visit their OB/GYN.

“Anything that is changing, growing, bleeding, not healing,” Dr. Germain says should be checked by a doctor.

Other skin cancer signs and symptoms include areas that itch and stand out.

Video story courtesy of WCBD-TV and reporter Laura Smith.

Call us for your skin check in Summerville or Mount Pleasant (843)881-4440.