I would recommend Dr Casper

Excellent advice to visit a dermatologist regularly to have a body check and especially if you love the outdoors.....and (guys) if you have considerably less than a full head of hair.

Yes, but this has nothing to do with me treating myself. One does not need a medical degree to spot the warning signs (symptoms). Perhaps the fool is one who has never bothered to learn the difference between a regular mole and something that may be problematic.

Often, the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, or color of an existing mole. (In some cases it may not be a mole but a sore spot that doesn't heal.)

Learn more by searching: skin cancer mole pictures


I still recommend regular check-ups for high risk people.

Sometimes those pics don't tell you everything.

My mom went to the Dermatologist for a full check up. The doctor said all looked well, but mom questioned her about a pimple on her back. She told my mom it was just a pimple, but my mom said it was itchy and she wanted it removed. It was Melanoma.

They ended up doing surgery on her and removed quite a bit of the area (VERY DEEP) but they got it all.

You know your body - so let them know if something feels wrong!

What proof do you have that everyone must get a regular checkup by a Dermatologist? Do you have a qualified link other than from the biased point of view of a Dermatologist?

Up to now the recommendation to get a regular checkup from a Dermatologist has been totally based on feelings and emotions of fear.

Friendly heads up; please see your dermatologist regularly
 

I don't need proof or a "qualified link". And my recommendation is not based upon "feelings and emotions of fear". Mine is based on one thing...personal experience.

Here are the screening guidelines recommended by Memorial Sloan Kettering:

Our Skin Cancer Screening Guidelines

Our doctors do not recommend routine skin cancer screening. We do recommend lifelong dermatologic surveillance for patients with a personal history of melanoma. In addition, we recommend that individuals identified during routine care who meet any of the following criteria be considered for skin cancer risk assessment by a dermatologist:

A family history of melanoma in two or more blood relatives
The presence of multiple atypical moles
The presence of numerous actinic keratoses (precancerous lesions that are grey to pink colored scaly patches of skin on sun-exposed areas of the body)

Having noted this, I personally see my dermatologist annually since I've had a MOHs procedure for basal cell cancer.

My post was not about you. I was asking for proof of why everyone needs regular screening. No proof of that so far.

Is the CDC irresponsible?

CDC - What Screening Tests Are There for Skin Cancer?

"....there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against routine screening....to find skin cancers early."

If you weren't recommending it for everyone, why did you keep posting against whatever I said? I was recommending it for those at high risk.

It's wise for retirees? The CDC doesn't say that; are they unwise?

Why do you agree with what many posters recommend? The majority opinion is often wrong when based on emotion.

Bare - your recommendations are reasonable on several levels: personal, emotional and common sense. I posted some recommendations that Sloan Kettering uses, but I also posted that my personal practice varies from those recommendations. IMHO the recommendations need to take into consideration personal and familial history along with geography. Someone living in the South has a higher probability of developing skin cancer than someone from the NE.

You are on target with your comments. You'll never win a discussion with someone who is only in the game to provoke argument.

Have a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving.