Your nails may provide subtle health clues (Image: Olga Pankova via Getty Images)
As summer draws to a close, a cancer specialist is urging people to check seven often-missed areas of the body for unusual moles and skin changes. Although the face, arms and chest are usually inspected after time in the sun, places concealed by hair, clothing or underwear are commonly overlooked.
Melanoma can appear anywhere on the skin, including areas that receive little or no direct sunlight. A new mark or noticeable change in an existing mole should therefore be checked, even when it appears in a normally covered part of the body.
Dr Jiri Kubes, a radiation oncologist and medical director at Prague’s Proton Therapy Center, said: “The end of summer is a helpful prompt to get to know your skin, but checking once is not enough. Sun-related damage builds over time, and a suspicious change can appear months or even years after the exposure that helped cause it.”
Beneath the hair and around the hairline
Marks on the scalp can remain hidden beneath thick hair, making them difficult to spot without help.
Dr Kubes said: “Use a comb or hairdryer to divide the hair into sections, then ask someone you trust to inspect the areas you cannot see yourself. Taking photographs with your phone can also help you track a mark and identify changes over time.”
Dr Jiri Kubes (Image: Proton Center)
Behind and around the ears
People often remember to put sunscreen on their faces but overlook the tops and backs of their ears. Check the folds around each ear and the skin behind them, using two mirrors or taking a photograph if necessary.
Across the back and shoulders
The back is another difficult area to examine properly, particularly the skin between the shoulder blades.
Dr Kubes said: “Touch alone is not enough. A partner, mirror or clear photo may show changes in colour or the outline of a mole that cannot be detected by feeling the skin.”
Under the breasts and within skin folds
Skin beneath the breasts, around the stomach and within other natural folds can easily be missed during routine checks. Most marks in these areas are harmless, but any new, changing, bleeding or non-healing spot should be assessed by a medical professional.
Around the buttocks and groin
These private areas may rarely be exposed to sunlight, but they should still form part of a complete skin examination.
Dr Kubes explained: “Melanoma is often linked to sun exposure, yet it can also develop on skin that is usually covered. Use a mirror to check discreetly and talk to a doctor if you notice something worrying—there is no need to feel embarrassed.”
Rear of the legs and behind the knees
While many people inspect their shins and thighs, the backs of the legs, creases behind the knees and the skin around the ankles are often forgotten. Standing with your back to a full-length mirror and using a handheld mirror can make these hard-to-see areas easier to examine.
Soles, toes and under the nails
Do not forget the soles of the feet, the spaces between the toes and the skin around the toenails. A dark streak beneath a nail should not automatically be dismissed as a bruise—especially when there has been no injury or the mark does not move outward as the nail grows.
Dr Kubes said: “Melanoma affecting the palms, soles or nails is uncommon, but these locations are especially easy to miss. People of every skin tone need to include them.”
Warning signs to look out for include asymmetry, an irregular border, uneven colouring or a mole that is changing in size, shape or appearance. Itching, bleeding, crusting or a mark that appears noticeably different from a person’s other moles should also be taken seriously.
Dr Kubes added: “Most moles are harmless and finding an unusual mark does not mean somebody has cancer. However, photographs cannot diagnose a skin lesion and self-checking is not a substitute for medical assessment. If you notice a new or changing mole, or a sore that is not healing, arrange an appointment with your GP promptly.”
