{"id":653110,"date":"2026-06-23T00:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T00:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/653110\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T00:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T00:40:16","slug":"how-to-tell-if-a-mole-is-skin-cancer-using-the-abcde-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/653110\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Tell If A Mole Is Skin Cancer Using The ABCDE Method"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the UK in the grips of yet another heatwave<\/a>, it\u2019s fair to say there will be a few more cases of sun burn reported as the week comes to a close. <\/p>\n

But your risk of melanoma \u2013 a potentially deadly form of skin cancer \u2013 doubles with a history of five or more sunburns, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.<\/a><\/p>\n

Not only that, but sun burn is the leading cause in most cases of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma (all types of skin cancer).<\/p>\n

Dr Tim Woodman, medical director at Bupa UK Insurance who worked as a GP for 17 years in the NHS, told HuffPost UK that \u201cif detected early enough skin cancer is easily treated and survival rates are high\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers are often delayed because people aren\u2019t confident identifying the symptoms or are concerned about wasting the doctor\u2019s time,\u201d he added, before sharing a checklist that\u2019s as simple as A, B, C…<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the system?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe suggest employing the ABCDE checklist when you check your moles, which should flag up the key signs that your mole could be a melanoma,\u201d experts at Bupa shared. <\/p>\n

A stands for asymmetry. Your mole may be melanoma if \u201cone half of the mole looks different to the other,\u201d Bupa experts revealed. <\/p>\n

B stands for border irregularity. Watch out for moles that have \u201cuneven or jagged\u201d edges. <\/p>\n

C is for colour variability. A melanoma is more likely than a mole to contain a range of different colours.<\/p>\n

D is for diameter. A mole that\u2019s bigger than 6mm across, the experts at Bupa say, is worth mentioning to your GP. <\/p>\n

E stands for evolution. Watch out for moles that change in size, shape, or colour. <\/p>\n

What if I suspect skin cancer?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you notice that something isn\u2019t quite right, such as a new, painful or changing mole or freckle, it\u2019s always a good idea to speak to a medical professional,\u201d Woodman shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to conditions such as cancer, early diagnosis can have a positive impact on the long-term prognosis, and ultimately survival rates. It may be nothing, but it\u2019s always important to check, if only to give yourself peace of mind.\u201c<\/p>\n

Bupa also offers a Cancer Direct Access<\/a> service for those seeking to self-refer.<\/p>\n

Those with pale skin, those who use tanning beds or spend a lot of time in the sun without protection, and those with a family history of the condition are more likely to develop skin cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the UK in the grips of yet another heatwave, it\u2019s fair to say there will be a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":653111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[847,59,102,71276,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-653110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-skin-cancer","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}