Even the same type of skin cancer can look very different from person to person. This makes it hard to look at a picture and tell if you have skin cancer.

The best way to tell if you have skin cancer is to see a dermatologist. You should see a dermatologist right away for a skin cancer check if you see anything on your skin that lasts for 2 weeks or longer and is:

• Growing.
• Changing shape.
• Bleeding or itching.

These are signs of skin cancer. If it is caught early and removed, skin cancer has a high cure rate.

The American Academy of Dermatology offers free skin cancer screenings throughout the year. We also can help you find a dermatologist in your area. Simply use the tools in the right column of this page.

The most common cancer in the world

More than 2 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year. And that’s just in the United States. Most Americans will have one of these skin cancers:

• Basal (bay-sal) cell carcinoma.
• Squamous (skwey-muhs) cell carcinoma.
• Melanoma.