Getting your moles checked starts with two approaches that work together: regular self-exams at home and professional skin exams from a dermatologist. Most people can start by booking a full-body skin check with a dermatologist, which typically takes 10 to 15 minutes and involves a head-to-toe visual inspection of your skin.
How to Check Your Own Moles at Home
Before you ever see a doctor, you can learn to spot the warning signs yourself. Dermatologists use a five-point system called the ABCDE rule to evaluate whether a mole looks suspicious:
- Asymmetry: One half of the mole doesn’t match the other half.
- Border: The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred, and pigment may spread into the surrounding skin.
- Color: The mole contains multiple shades of brown, black, or tan, or has areas of white, gray, red, pink, or blue.
- Diameter: The mole is larger than 6 millimeters, roughly the size of a pencil eraser. Melanomas can be smaller, but most exceed this threshold.
- Evolving: The mole has changed in size, shape, color, or height over the past few weeks or months, or you notice new symptoms like itching or scabbing.
There’s also a simpler technique called the “ugly duckling” sign. If you have lots of moles or freckles, look for the one that stands out from the rest. Maybe it’s scabbed over, more raised than the others, or just looks different. That mismatch is worth getting checked, even if the mole doesn’t hit every ABCDE criterion.
Stand in front of a full-length mirror in a well-lit room and work through your body systematically. Use a hand mirror to check your back, the backs of your legs, and your scalp. Don’t skip less obvious spots like between your toes, the soles of your feet, and under your nails. Monthly self-checks help you learn what’s normal for your skin, which makes it easier to notice when something changes.
Booking a Professional Skin Exam
Your primary care doctor can do a basic visual skin check, but a dermatologist is trained specifically to evaluate moles and detect skin cancer. You can usually book a full-body skin exam directly with a dermatologist’s office without a referral, though some insurance plans require one. If you’ve noticed a specific mole that concerns you, mention it when you schedule so the office can allocate enough time.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force hasn’t established a universal screening schedule for people without symptoms or risk factors, so there’s no single “right” answer for how often to go. Your dermatologist will recommend a frequency based on your personal risk. People at higher risk generally need annual checks or more frequent visits.
The American Academy of Dermatology offers free skin cancer screenings in many communities throughout the year, which can be a good option if cost or insurance is a barrier.
Who Needs More Frequent Checks
Certain characteristics put you at higher risk for skin cancer and may mean your dermatologist wants to see you more often. According to the CDC, risk factors include lighter natural skin color, skin that burns or freckles easily, blue or green eyes, blond or red hair, a large number of moles, a history of sunburns or tanning, a family history of skin cancer, a personal history of skin cancer, and older age. If several of these apply to you, annual screening is a reasonable baseline, and your dermatologist may recommend every six months.
People at very high risk, such as those with a personal history of melanoma or a condition that causes dozens of atypical moles, may be candidates for total-body photography. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center uses 3-D total-body photography, where multiple cameras capture your entire skin surface at once and a computer stitches the images into a detailed digital model. At future appointments, your dermatologist compares your current skin to the model to spot subtle changes. This approach also helps avoid unnecessary biopsies, since your doctor can see whether a mole has actually changed or just looks unfamiliar.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
A full-body skin exam requires your dermatologist to see as much of your skin as possible, so a little preparation makes the visit smoother. Before your appointment, remove all makeup, take off nail polish (skin cancer can develop under nails), remove any bandages or braces covering your skin, leave jewelry at home, and keep your hair loose so your scalp is accessible.
You’ll typically change into a gown. The doctor will methodically examine your skin from your scalp to the soles of your feet. If you’ve been tracking a specific mole, point it out and share what you’ve noticed, including how long the change has been happening. Photos from your phone taken over weeks or months can be surprisingly helpful for showing how a mole has evolved.
What Happens During the Exam
The dermatologist visually inspects your skin, looking for moles, birthmarks, or pigmented areas that appear abnormal in color, size, shape, or texture. Many dermatologists also use a dermatoscope, a handheld magnifying device with a built-in light that lets them see structures beneath the skin’s surface invisible to the naked eye. This step is painless and takes just a few seconds per spot.
Most of the time, the exam ends with reassurance. If your dermatologist sees something that needs a closer look, they’ll recommend a biopsy, which happens right in the office during the same visit or a follow-up.
What Happens if a Mole Looks Suspicious
A biopsy is the only way to confirm whether a mole is cancerous. There are a few types, and which one your dermatologist uses depends on the mole’s size, location, and how deep they need to sample.
- Shave biopsy: A razor blade shaves off a thin surface layer of skin. This doesn’t require stitches. You may have minor bleeding, and the area typically heals like a scrape.
- Punch biopsy: A small circular tool removes a deeper, round core of skin. This usually requires a couple of stitches.
- Excisional biopsy: A scalpel removes a larger sample or the entire mole, along with a margin of normal skin. This also requires stitches.
The sample goes to a lab where a pathologist examines it under a microscope. Results typically come back within one to two weeks. If the biopsy shows cancer or precancerous cells, your dermatologist will discuss next steps, which often involve removing a wider margin of skin around the original site.
Checking Moles Remotely Through Telehealth
Teledermatology, where you submit photos of a mole for a dermatologist to review remotely, has become widely available. A Cochrane review found that when dermatologists evaluated photographic images for skin cancer, they correctly identified malignant lesions about 95% of the time. However, the rate of false positives varied widely, meaning telehealth sometimes flags benign spots as potentially concerning.
Accuracy improves when you submit both a regular photograph and a magnified, close-up image of the mole. Good lighting, a steady camera, and a reference object like a ruler next to the mole all help. Telehealth works well as a first filter, especially if you’re deciding whether a mole warrants an in-person visit. But it’s not a substitute for a full-body exam, since it only evaluates the spots you choose to photograph, and you may miss the very mole that matters most.