The ABCD Rule is a guideline developed by the American Cancer Society to help you identify some of the usual signs of melanoma. Protect yourself and your loved ones by examining and getting to know your skin on a regular basis.

Becoming familiar with your skin and its various bumps, lesions, or other peculiarities can help you quickly identify anything new or unusual, as well as notable changes in existing moles or lesions. Notify your health practitioner if you notice any of the following kinds of skin developments:

A stands for ASYMMETRY: One half of a mole or birthmark doesn’t match the other

B stands for BORDER: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched or blurred

C is for COLOR: The color is not the same all over, but may have different shades of brown or black, sometimes with patches of red, white or blue

D is for DIAMETER: The area is larger than 6 millimeters (about ¼ inch or the size of a pencil eraser) or is growing larger.

Some explanations of the ABCD method include an E at the end (i.e. ABCDE). This fifth letter stands for EVOLUTION which refers to perhaps the most important warning sign for melanoma skin cancer: a spot on the skin that is changing in size, shape, or color over a period of one month to 1-2 years.

For some additional helpful (though not pleasant to look at) visuals check out this WebMD slideshow.

Posted August 26th, 2009 under Health and Beauty, Skin Care. Tags: cancer, health, skin cancer, skincare
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