Step-by-Step Self-Examination

We will need: a bright light, a full-length mirror, a hand mirror, 2 chairs, a blow dryer, body maps and a pencil or, ideally, a digital camera.

  1. Examine your face, especially the nose, lips, mouth, and ears – front and back. Use mirrors to get a clear view.
  2. Inspect your scalp, using a blow dryer and mirror to expose each section to view. Get a friend or family member, even a child,  to help, if it is possible.
  3. Check your hands: palms and backs, between the fingers and under the fingernails. Examine both front and back of your forearms.
  4. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, begin at the elbows and scan all sides of your upper arms.
  5. Look to the neck and chest. Women should lift the breasts to see beneath.
  6. With your back to a full-length mirror, use the hand mirror to inspect the back of your neck, shoulders, upper back, and any part of the back of your upper arms.
  7. Still using mirrors don't forget your lower back, buttocks, and backs of both legs.
  8. Sit down; prop each leg in turn on the other chair. Use the hand mirror to examine the genitals. Check front and sides of both legs, thigh to shin, ankles, tops of feet, between toes and under toenails. Examine soles of feet and heels.