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Skin Cancer Screening

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University's, team of experts provides advanced assessment tools to screen and evaluate for skin cancer.

Screening for Skin Cancer

Skin cancer, including melanoma, is the most common type of cancer in both the United States and around the world.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most prevalent form of skin cancer, followed by squamous cell carcinoma as the second most common type. While melanoma is less frequent than basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, it can be more aggressive.

Preventing skin cancer begins with taking preventive measures, such as protecting your skin from the sun. Getting evaluated by a dermatologist is important to establish your risk.

Who Should Be Screened for Skin Cancer?

Although there are currently no universal screening recommendations for skin cancers, our experts encourage high risk individuals with regular, prolonged UV exposure to get a skin cancer screening by a dermatologist. Depending on their skin type, the time of year and how long they are exposed to the sun, some people’s skin burns or tans more easily than others and are thus more likely to develop skin cancer during their lifetime.

Have you considered your risk level? You fall into the high-risk category for skin cancer if you have:

  • Personal history of skin cancer
  • Family history of skin cancer
  • Fair skin
  • Blue or green eyes
  • Blond or red hair
  • Skin that burns or freckles easily
  • A lot of moles
  • Older age
  • More than five sunburns in your lifetime
  • Exposure to tanning beds
  • Taking medications that suppress the immune system

People who are older are also at an increased risk.

At Winship, we offer skin cancer screening tools that can help protect you and your family. Schedule an appointment today.

Types of Skin Cancer Screening

At Winship, we have a team of dermatologists and skin cancer experts that can perform mole checks and skin cancer checks. This is done using a few techniques:

  • Visual exam. A dermatologist will visually scan the body, looking for any abnormal moles, changes in moles or suspicious lesions.
  • Mole mapping. This takes digital images of the entire body’s skin surface. Picture an overall map of the skin. Mole mapping helps to track moles over time and to detect any changes in those moles moving forward.

Should you find a suspicious mole, our experts at Winship are highly adept at removing any cancerous or precancerous lesions on the body. And if caught early enough, skin cancer can be removed, which often results in complete cure of the skin cancer.