How to check your skin for signs of skin cancer

 

Regularly becoming familiar with your skin can help you notice a new or changing spot. You do not need to decide what a spot is yourself—if something is new, changing or unusual, arrange a medical assessment.

 

HOW TO PERFORM A SELF-CHECK
 

Use a well-lit room, a full-length mirror and a handheld mirror. Ask a partner or family member to help with areas that are difficult to see. Check your whole skin systematically, including areas that receive little sun.

• Examine your face, nose, lips, ears and neck.
• Part your hair and check the scalp in sections.
• Check your shoulders, arms, elbows, forearms, hands, fingers and underneath your nails.
• Look over your chest, abdomen and sides of your body.
• Use a mirror—or ask for help—to check your upper and lower back, buttocks and the back of your neck.
• Check the front, sides and back of both legs.
• Examine your ankles, the tops and soles of your feet, between your toes and underneath your toenails.

 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
 

Arrange a skin check if you notice:
• a new spot or lump
• a spot that looks different from your other spots
• a change in size, shape, colour, thickness or texture
• a sore that does not heal
• a spot that repeatedly bleeds, crusts, itches, tingles or becomes tender
• a thickened red or scaly area, or a pearly or shiny lump.

 

THE ABCDE GUIDE TO MELANOMA
 

The ABCDE guide can help identify changes that deserve medical assessment:

A — Asymmetry: the two halves do not match.
B — Border: the edge is irregular, notched or spreading.
C — Colour: the colour is uneven or contains several colours.
D — Diameter: the spot is becoming larger.
E — Evolving: the spot is changing in size, shape, colour or symptoms.

Not every melanoma follows the ABCDE guide. A spot can still require assessment even if it is small or does not meet every feature.

 

WHEN TO BOOK A SKIN CHECK
 

Self-checking cannot diagnose skin cancer and does not replace examination by a trained doctor. If you notice a suspicious spot, do not wait for your next routine check.

Learn about MoleSpot’s doctor-led full body skin checks

Read the Cancer Council guide to checking for signs of skin cancer

Sources reviewed October 2026: Cancer Council Australia and Healthdirect.