Looking at your mole or skin change (dermoscopy)

If you are worried about a mole or area of skin you should see your GP. They will ask you questions about how long you've had it, and what changes you have noticed.

Doctors can look very closely at the skin with an instrument called a dermatoscope. This is to check for signs of melanoma or non melanoma skin cancer. They will also check the rest of your skin for any changes.

Some GPs have been trained to use a dermatoscope. If your GP hasn’t, a skin specialist (dermatologist) will use it if you need to see them.

What is a dermatoscope?

A dermatoscope is a handheld instrument, a bit like a magnifying glass. It can make things look up to 10 times bigger.

Your doctor puts some oil or gel onto your skin. This helps the dermatoscope to work better. They then hold the dermatoscope on your skin and look through it. This does not hurt or affect your skin.

Below are pictures of dermatoscopes.

Photographs

Your doctor may also take photographs of any abnormal areas or moles. Or they might ask you to have them taken at a special clinic.

Photographs make it easier to look for changes over time.

What happens next?

What happens next depends on whether your doctor thinks the mole or abnormal skin patch is due to cancer. And if so, what type of skin cancer they think it is.

They may recommend you have some more tests.

Monitoring

Your doctor may think that the mole or skin patch doesn’t need removing yet, but they are not completely sure that it is harmless. In this case, they will ask you to go back after 3 months to see if there are any changes.

Reassurance

If your doctor thinks the mole or patch of skin is harmless, they will reassure you. They will give you advice on staying safe in the sun and what skin changes to look out for.

You should go back to your GP if you have any new changes or are still concerned.