Skin Cancer Symptoms

Because there is not one single definitive skin cancer symptom, skin cancer is horribly difficult to self diagnose - and you should never try. Skin cancer can take many, many different shapes and sizes and colors, and a basal cell carcinoma (the most inert type of skin cancer) can sometimes look like malignant melanoma (the most deadly type of skin cancer) and vice versa. So you should never, ever take it upon yourself to determine what kind of skin cancer you have just by looking at yourself.

There are, however, a few key changes to your skin that you should look for when trying to find spots of skin cancer. While not symptoms, they should be considered warning signs. First, see if you have any new moles developing or if any of your current moles are growing in size or darkening in color.  Also see whether or not you have patches of splotchy skin or areas where your skin is developing puss or bleeding more than it should be.

The key thing to remember with skin cancer is that ultimately, the disease is completely symptomless. It is not until the cancer may start to spread that you will experience a skin cancer symptom like dramatic weight loss or constant fatigue.