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Skin Cancer Screening
During a skin cancer screening, your skin is examined head to toe with careful attention to your comfort and preferences. We take time to look closely at areas of concern while also assessing the skin as a whole. Tools such as dermoscopy are used alongside your medical history and clinical judgment to improve accuracy and guide next steps.
When appropriate, biopsies or treatments can often be performed during the same visit to limit the need for additional appointments. If a concerning finding is identified, we discuss the findings clearly and review options together.
Regular skin examinations at Syracuse Dermatology can help identify skin changes as early as possible, when treatment is often simpler and more effective. Some patients may benefit from more frequent screening based on individual risk factors, which may include:
- A personal or family history of skin cancer
- Certain genetic conditions associated with increased skin cancer risk
- Prior tanning bed use
- Use of immunosuppressive or photosensitizing medications that cannot be changed
Your history is reviewed carefully to determine an appropriate and personalized screening schedule for you.
- Common Benign Findings
- Many skin checks identify non-cancerous growths that do not require treatment unless they cause symptoms or concern. Common examples include:
- • Seborrheic keratoses (normal “skin overgrowths”)
- • Cherry angiomas (normal “blood vessel growths”)
- • Benign nevi (normal “moles”)
- • Lentigines (normal “sun spots”)
- Many skin checks identify non-cancerous growths that do not require treatment unless they cause symptoms or concern. Common examples include:
- Atypical (Non-Cancerous) Findings
- Some findings are not skin cancer, but still deserve attention because they may change over time or carry increased risk.
- Sun-related precancerous lesions
- These findings reflect early sun damage and are often treated to reduce the chance of progression
- • Actinic keratoses (precancers with risk of developing into a squamous cell carcinoma)
- • Atypical melanocytic hyperplasia or atypical melanocytic proliferation (abnormal overgrowth of pigment-producing cells with a risk of progression to melanoma)
- These findings reflect early sun damage and are often treated to reduce the chance of progression
- Atypical moles
- Some moles have abnormal features under the microscope and cannot be reliably predicted to behave benignly over time. Because of this uncertainty, removal is often recommended:
- • Severely dysplastic nevus (atypical mole but not considered precancerous by most dermatologists)
- Some moles have abnormal features under the microscope and cannot be reliably predicted to behave benignly over time. Because of this uncertainty, removal is often recommended:
- Skin Cancers That May Be Detected
- Skin examinations are also designed to identify skin cancers at an early stage, when outcomes are generally better. Types that may be found include:
- • Basal cell carcinoma
- • Squamous cell carcinoma in situ
- • Squamous cell carcinoma
- • Melanoma
- • Merkel cell carcinoma
- • Sebaceous carcinoma
- If something concerning is found, we review the diagnosis and next steps clearly, which may include monitoring, biopsy, or treatment.
- Skin examinations are also designed to identify skin cancers at an early stage, when outcomes are generally better. Types that may be found include: