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Although skin cancer often doesn’t get the same attention as other cancers, don’t let this fool you into thinking it isn’t a big deal. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

If found early, most people survive skin cancer.

Read on for answers to common questions about skin cancer, such as “What does early skin cancer look like?” “Where are you most likely to find it?” and “Does skin cancer itch?”

What Does Skin Cancer Look Like?

Skin cancer can look — and feel — different, depending on the type of skin cancer you have. For instance, Merkel cell carcinoma — a very rare type — often appears as a single, painless lump.

Basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell cancer is the most common skin cancer. In people with light-colored skin, it may look like:

• Bumps that are small, pink, or red. They look translucent, shiny, or pearly, with blue, brown, or black areas.
• Open sores, which may ooze or crust. They don’t heal, or they heal and then come back.
• Pink growths with raised edges. A sunken middle may have blood vessels that fan out like spokes of a wheel.
• Raised red patches that may itch.
• Scar-like areas, which are firm, flat, and pale or yellow in color.

These skin tumors are often fragile. They may bleed if you shave or scratch them. In people of color, basal cell carcinoma looks the same, only darker.

Basal cell cancer can develop anywhere on your body. But most often, they’re found on sun-exposed areas, such as your face, head, neck, and arms.

Squamous cell cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. But it’s the most common skin cancer in Black people.

Squamous cell carcinoma may look like:

• Raised growths or lumps. Sometimes, the center has sunk in.
• Rough, scaly red or darker patches, which may bleed or crust.
• Open sores, which may ooze or crust. They don’t heal, or they may heal and then come back.
• Wart-like growths.

This type tends to occur on sun-exposed areas of the face, ears, lips, neck, and the back of the hands. Sometimes, it can start in the genital area or in scars or sores elsewhere on the body.

Melanoma

The most serious type of skin cancer, melanoma can grow and spread quickly deep into the skin, where it can travel to other organs. But when found early, the five-year survival rate is 99%, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF).

To spot melanoma, follow the ABCDE rule:

• Asymmetry — Melanoma growths lack symmetry. Look for growths or moles with odd shapes or sides that don’t match.
• Border — Melanoma growths often lack smooth edges or borders. Look for growths and moles with notched edges, uneven edges, or scalloped edges, like a clamshell.
• Color — Melanomas may have shades of black, brown, and tan or white, red, and blue. Some are colorless. Look for moles or growths that are more than one color or have different shades of a single color, change color as they get larger, or get darker.
• Diameter — Melanomas are often at least 6 millimeters in diameter, or larger than the size of a pencil’s eraser.
• Evolving — This means any growth or skin that changes or looks different from the rest of the spots on your body. Look for moles or growths that are changing color, crusting over or bleeding, getting bigger, spreading out, growing higher on the skin’s surface, or itching.

How Skin Cancer Looks Different for People of Color

Although it’s most common in non-Hispanic white people, anyone can develop skin cancer.

In people of color, the melanin in their skin gives them some protection from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. But they’re still at risk — and often face a higher risk of death from skin cancer. The reason: Skin cancer diagnoses often happen in later stages for people of color, when it’s harder to treat.

Late-stage melanoma diagnoses are more common among Black and Hispanic people than white people. In Black people, the estimated five-year survival rate for melanoma is 70% compared to 94% for white people, according to the SCF.

In people of color, skin cancer often shows up on skin without sun exposure. The soles of the feet are the most common site. Other common areas include:

• Fingernails and toenails.
• Groin and genital areas.
• Inside the mouth or nose.
• Palms of hands.

How to Tell if You Have Skin Cancer

One in five people will get skin cancer by age 70, the SCF estimates. Knowing what skin cancer looks like only helps if you look for it. That’s where skin cancer screening comes in.

Health experts recommend monthly self-exams, in the nude, to look for new growths or skin changes. Remove any nail polish first and use a full-length mirror and a handheld mirror to check for areas you can’t see.

You should:

• Bend your elbows and look at your forearms, underarms, palms, and fingernails.
• Check your back, buttocks, and genital area.
• Inspect the back of your head and neck. Part your hair to look at your scalp.
• Lift your breasts to look at the skin beneath.
• Look at the front and back of your body.
• Look at the front and back of your legs and feet, the soles of your feet, between your toes, and your toenails.
• Raise and inspect the right side and left side of your arms.

If you have a history of skin cancer or other risk factors, your doctor may also screen you during regular checkups.

When to See a Doctor

You should see a doctor if you have any of the above skin cancer signs or:

• A sore that takes longer than a week to heal or that heals and then comes back.
• Any mole that is much darker or looks much different than other moles on your skin.
• Any mole or growth whose diameter, or circular size, is larger than a pencil’s eraser.
• Any new growth, sore, or bump that changes in color, shape, or size.

The only way to know if you have skin cancer is through a biopsy or sample your doctor takes of your skin tissue. A lab analysis will determine whether you have skin cancer and, if so, what type. With that information, your skin cancer care team can tailor a treatment plan to remove your skin cancer and keep you cancer-free.