{"id":1957,"date":"2019-05-20T15:02:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T15:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scfredesignpro.wpengine.com\/?page_id=1957"},"modified":"2023-10-11T19:53:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T19:53:33","slug":"annual-exams","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/annual-exams\/","title":{"rendered":"Annual Exams"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Annual Exams<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-1 vc_col-lg-10″][vc_custom_heading text=”Five Easy Steps to Prepare Yourself” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2780″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section][vc_row el_class=”content-block”][vc_column width=”5\/6″ offset=”vc_col-xs-offset-1″][vc_column_text]As part of a complete early detection strategy, we recommend that you see a dermatologist<\/strong> once a year, or more often if you are at a higher risk of skin cancer<\/a>, for a full-body, professional skin exam.<\/p>\n

To help you prepare and make the most of your appointment, follow these five simple steps.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Perform a self-exam<\/strong> and come to your appointment prepared with notes about any new, changing or unusual spots you want to point out to your dermatologist. If you’ve taken smartphone photos of a spot that has changed over time, be sure to show them to your dermatologist.<\/li>\n
  2. Remove nail polish<\/strong> from your fingers and toes to enable thorough examination of fingers, nails and nail beds, since skin cancers can form there.<\/li>\n
  3. Wear your hair loose.<\/strong>\u00a0Remove pony tails, buns or hair clips so that your doctor can get a good look at your scalp where skin cancers can, and do, develop.<\/li>\n
  4. Pack makeup remover<\/strong> to bring to your appointment and remove any makeup before your exam so that the skin around your eyes is easy to examine.<\/li>\n
  5. Ask questions.<\/strong> This is your opportunity to get valuable advice and insight from a professional trained specifically in diseases of the skin. From explanations of unfamiliar terms to pointers on how to do a skin self-exam<\/a>, your doctor is an excellent source of information!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    During the exam<\/h4>\n

    If you\u2019ve never had atypical moles<\/a> or skin cancer, the exam will likely be brief (about 10 minutes). You\u2019ll need to remove your clothes and put on a medical exam gown. It is unlikely you will be told to remove your underwear, unless you have indicated that a spot on your genitalia concerns you. Your dermatologist will thoroughly check your skin from head to toe, paying close attention to hard-to-see spots like your scalp, back and buttocks, behind your ears, and even between your toes. Your dermatologist may utilize a small handheld magnifying device called a dermatoscope, that visualizes the outer surface of the skin (the epidermis) and the layers just beneath it.<\/p>\n

    Your doctor may biopsy one or more suspicious spots. This usually means removing part or all of the lesion and sending it to a lab for analysis. If the report comes back that the spot is skin cancer, your physician will contact you and explain the type of skin cancer and treatment options.<\/p>\n

    Remember that early detection<\/a> of skin cancer is the key to the most minimal and cost-effective treatment with the highest chance of a cure. Make your appointment soon!<\/p>\n

    Find a Dermatologist<\/a><\/p>\n

    Learn more about our Destination Healthy Skin <\/a>screening and education program.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_section full_width=”stretch_row” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1561396299379{margin-bottom: 0px !important;background-color: #323f4a !important;}”][vc_row][vc_column width=”5\/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=”subpage-nav” width=”1\/2″][vc_btn title=”Early Detection Overview” style=”custom” custom_background=”#323f4a” custom_text=”#ffcc42″ shape=”square” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skincancer.org%2Fearly-detection%2F|title:early%20detection%20overview||” css=”.vc_custom_1564697313620{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” color=”custom” size=”sm” align=”center” custom_color=”#ffdf74″ link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skincancer.org%2Fearly-detection%2F|title:Early%20Detection||”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=”subpage-nav” width=”1\/2″][vc_btn title=”Early Detection Self-Exams” style=”custom” custom_background=”#323f4a” custom_text=”#ffcc42″ shape=”square” size=”lg” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skincancer.org%2Fearly-detection%2Fself-exams%2F|title:early%20detection%20self-exams||” css=”.vc_custom_1564697338525{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-arrow-right” color=”custom” size=”sm” align=”center” custom_color=”#ffdf74″ link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skincancer.org%2Fearly-detection%2Fself-exams%2F|title:Early%20Detection%20Self-Exams||”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section full_width=”stretch_row” el_class=”news”][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Sun & Skin News<\/h2>\n

    [\/vc_column_text][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”3″ item=”326″ initial_loading_animation=”none” grid_id=”vc_gid:1697053980857-121db755-7a85-3″ taxonomies=”5″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    [vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Annual Exams [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-1 vc_col-lg-10″][vc_custom_heading text=”Five Easy Steps to Prepare Yourself” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2780″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section][vc_row el_class=”content-block”][vc_column width=”5\/6″ offset=”vc_col-xs-offset-1″][vc_column_text]As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2780,"parent":1857,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1957","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAnnual Exams - The Skin Cancer Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As part of a complete skin cancer early detection strategy, visit a dermatologist once a year for a full-body, professional skin exam.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/annual-exams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Annual Exams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As part of a complete skin cancer early detection strategy, visit a dermatologist once a year for a full-body, professional skin exam.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/annual-exams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-11T19:53:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/YearlyExamSCF.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"733\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@skincancerorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/annual-exams\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/annual-exams\/\",\"name\":\"Annual Exams - 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