A lot of their symptoms overlap—which doesn't *really* matter because despite which category you fall under, it's still skin cancer. We tapped into Gohara's expertise to find out which "little" signs could potentially mean big trouble down the road if untested:
1. If you cut it in half, do both sides match up evenly? Asymmetrical moles aren't good.
2. Also look out for moles with jagged or irregular edges—normal ones are typically smooth.
3. If you've noticed the color of your moles become darker or just change color, ahem.
4. Track your mole's size to see if it's growing. Anything bigger than, say, the size of a pencil eraser needs to be checked out.
5. Moles that bleed or hurt.
6. Pimples that won't go away on sun-exposed skin. Zits appear and disappear all the time, but if a translucent, pimple-like bump doesn't go away after a month or so, it's most likely not a pimple.
7. Bruises on your feet that won't heal.
8. Exposure to HPV took us by surprise. So genitals—that normally don't see daylight unless, you know, you're chilling at a nude beach—with the virus can also develop squamous cells and lead to skin cancer.
9. A key phrase is "non-healing sore," which often refers to problems in the mouth (caused by smoking). Oral skin cancer falls under the SCC column, so please, DON'T PUFF THE TOBACCO.
10. Look under your fingernails for brown or black streaks. These can also appear on your toes.
11. Crusty, scaly (gonna be sick) skin is another biggie. But there's a difference between this and things like dry skin, psoriasis, or eczema even though these can all mimic each other in appearance. Usually, skin cancers are tender and won't respond to topical creams that most other ailments react to.
While these symptoms don't always link to skin cancer, you should schedule an appointment with a derm just to be sure.
