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Do i have an increased risk of skin cancer?

Date of publication: 22. june 2016
Katja Gorenšek Ul, dr.med., dermatovenerology specialist Specialist dermatologije
It is good to ask the right questions

Specialists at the SKIN centre will tell you that there is a lot you can do to maintain a healthy skin. To help you, we have prepared a list of questions and some guidelines, so that you know what you should pay attention to. They might prove useful for making an important decision about your health.

If you have answered “yes” to any of the questions, we recommend that you see a dermatologist.

  • Do you have fair skin that is easily sunburnt?
  • Do you have many birthmarks?
  • Do you have any large congenital birthmarks?
  • Do you have any atypical or changing birthmarks?
  • Did you get sunburnt in your childhood or adolescence? Have any of your relatives had skin cancer?
  • Have you had skin cancer?
  • Do you regularly expose yourself to sun? (Link to the examination of birthmarks (nevuses) with dermatoscopy and examination of birthmarks and monitoring changes with digital dermatoscopy)

Pay special attention to the following issues:

  • new birthmarks;
  • changed colour of the birthmark (they become lighter or darker or of another colour);
  • changed size of the birthmark (enlarged or reduced size);
  • thickening of the birthmark;
  • changes around the birthmark (redness, white discolouration, swelling);
  • unusual sensations at or around the birthmark (itching, burning, feelings of a foreign body);
  • bleeding at or around the birthmark;
  • the birthmark is asymmetric;
  • the birthmark has an irregular border;
  • the birthmark is 6 mm or more in diameter.

If you notice any of the above, it is essential that you see a dermatologist.