Encouraging Health

While you’re helping your significant other get slathered up with sunscreen this weekend, throw in a little bonus gift: a skin check.

You see, there’s a benefit to being this close. Couples with tight-knit bonds are more likely to carefully check each other’s skin for moles, bumps, and other worrisome marks.

I’ve Got Your Back
Skin self-exams can catch melanoma and other skin cancers early, when treatment has the best shot. And in a study of melanoma survivors, couples in close relationships were about three times more likely to do the skin-check deed. A partner can help with hard-to-see spots, too — like your back and your scalp.

Patrol your skin in 6 easy steps
Now that you have a better idea of what to look for and what’s at stake, it’s time to patrol your skin for potentially cancerous lesions. Getting to know what’s normal for you is the best place to begin. The better you know your skin, the more likely you’ll be able to notice if there are any changes. Learn where your birthmarks, freckles, moles, and blemishes are and what they usually look and feel like.

The goal of a skin self exam is to look thoroughly at all areas of your body, so you’ll need a well-lit room with a full-length mirror plus a hand mirror and a blow dryer. The bathroom is generally an ideal location. In addition, it may be easier to do your skin exam with a partner, if you wish.

1. Look at the front and back of your body in a mirror.
2. Look at your left and right sides. Raise your arms and bend your elbows. Look at your underarms, forearms, the back of your upper arms, and your palms.
3. Sit down and look at the back of your legs and feet, the spaces between your toes, and the soles of your feet. (Think about the times your soles may have been sunburned as you lay on your stomach.)
4. Use a mirror to examine the back of your neck and scalp. Use a blow dryer on a low setting to examine your entire scalp.
5. Use a hand mirror to examine your back and your buttocks.
6. Finally, take photographs of any suspicious-looking skin marks. Save these pictures and during your next skin exam, check your skin for any changes against the photos you took.

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