As someone at a higher risk for skin cancer due to my sensitivity to the sun I really appreciate this video because it’s a great reminder of what to watch out for when checking my numerous moles around my body and also not a bad plug for people like me having yearly skin checks just to be safe! Due to my sensitivity, for the last nine years I’ve actually owned a front zip swimsuit that has long sleeves, a high collar, and knee length shorts (it’s very similar to a wetsuit) and I use it not only at the beach in the summer but also when I’m cycling or doing any kind of outdoor exercise and it’s drastically improved my enjoyment/performance as a result because I’ve not only reduced the amount of sunburns/sun poisoning I experience but I’ve also dramatically reduced my susceptibility to heat exhaustion from the sun as well and it’s been a huge lifesaver for me that I can’t live without now, it was the single greatest purchase I’ve ever made in my entire life!
Thank you for clarifying basal cell doesn't follow this entirely. I went in for a mole on my shoulder, only to discover that stubborn "zit" near my eye was actually more urgent Edit: that "zit" wasn't acne but basal cell, and was subsequently treated via Mohs surgery.
@@DrJamesGill oh I agree, mostly due to the number of major surgeries I've endured. That Mohs surgery, while unpleasant, has nothing on the childhood invasive surgeries I endured.
I’ve been watching this channel for a long time, but I’m actually a first year medical student now (in the USA) and my dermatology exam is in a couple days… this was really informative!
I'm glad he brought up tanning beds. With the current uproar in America about the government banning gas stoves and gas heating in New structures being built, over asthma concerns, I think to myself "if we are concerned about appliances that cause harm, shouldn't we go for tanning salons first?"
Whilst I do think they SHOULD be banned, the counter argument is inform and give choice. You don’t need a tan, you do need warmth and heating of a house and heat for cooking food
Bro gas stoves were banned in new building in NYC to be environmental friendly not for asma if they cared they would get the homeless people jobs instead of beating them
This was super helpful! I remember, when I was a child I went to see my dermatologist for something... else, I don't even remember what it was, but after I took off my pants, he spotted a mole on my thigh that he really did not like. Took a close look at it and immediately scheduled an appointment to "stamp" it out. I'm kinda surprised there weren't more tests, but I guess... better safe than sorry? (And I didn't mind, now it's just a small white spot - and it reminds me to check my body for any new or changed moles regularly!)
Thank you so much! I have been watching you since before I wanted to be a PA. I'm in PA school right now and we are on skin in our physical diagnosis class.
@@DrJamesGill This is just a spit ball idea for those in school who find it hard to say every step and go through a whole physical diagnosis in front of the class. Some bloopers or other students who were nervous throughout the mock physical to show others who struggle are not alone. Because I've watched your videos and my EMT cert involved me doing a quick physical in front of many people I a calm about it but many in my cohort never had to do this before and clearly show it.
Very interesting Topic. For me personally too. I have a Skin irregularity (im unsure of the exact classification) since birth that changed quite a bit, but being on top of my head its not really feasible for me to observe any visual change on my own. The Sample send to the Lab recentlly didnt find anything concerning for now but the Dermatologists recommend yearly checkups. So i can only agree with Dr. Gills Recommendations.
My dad and his brother both died from melanoma cancer I have had 8 spots removed and they have all been superficial (stage 0) I get a skin check every three months
What a weird time for this to be uploaded. About 2.5 weeks ago, I got quite burnt at the beach (must have missed a few spots with the sunscreen) and now I have a small brown lump on the back of my shoulder and the surrounding area is extremely itchy. Could be nothing, but I want to get it checked out just in case.
Great video! About a month back I had spotted a couple of horizontal lines on my toenails and with a quick google I had spotted cancer as one of the diagnoses. Fear hit me pretty hard because I've previously gone through a bout of testicular cancer (4 years ago) and was a week away from my follow up check. A couple of sleepless nights and severe anxiety later, my oncologist tells me that it's a nail injury 😅. Felt like an idiot but the doctor did tell me that it's good that I'm keeping a close eye on unusual spots but it's not good to come to conclusions before actually consulting with him.
The is one issue with Dr Google. But the converse is people do get things checked and are most often reassured, but occasionally it always means things are picked up sooner.
In early 2008 I developed a skin issue. Peeling and flaking dry skin. My physician told me that is a subdermal. Its basically face dandruff. However later that year I deployed to Iraq. Well early in the deployment during some training I got sunburned bad. Like, really, really bad. The bridge of my nose and tips of my ears were literally burnt; blackened and crispy. It was so bad I looked at my friend and said "This isn't the last time I'll have to deal with this." Well, I was right. A few years ago I noticed a change in the way my face was peeling. At this point I was accustomed to the dry skin but something was different. My nose started to just hurt and I got these dark spots that would come and go. And large patches of skin breaking off and bleeding. So I got it checked; Actenic keratosis. Still dealing with it to this day.
I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, I would have had them remove it. I’ve had two moles removed so far that weren’t an issue, just because they were close enough IMO to keep me up at night lol
Also! (More comments for the algorithm gods) What you said about tanning beds retroactively pissed me off because last week, I drove by a tanning salon that advertised itself with a slogan along the lines of "Get your Vitamin D here, improve your health!" -_- (Obviously I'm angry at the tanning salon, not you. Thank you for talking about it!)
Hola doctor Jill, perdón por molestar, pero tengo una pregunta un poco tonta , las maquinitas, creo que se les dice cabinas uv, para secar el esmaltado semipermanente de las uñas ¿son peligrosas? ¿Debería ponerme protector solar en mis manos antes de usarla? Suelo hacerme bastante seguido las uñas y la verdad tengo duda acerca de si la radicación ultravioleta (creo que se le dice así) de las máquinitas puede llegar a ser nociva con el tiempo, gracias 😊 lindo día y saludos🤍
Not entierly related but i just got diagnosed with lymf node cancer. Got strange symptoms mostly related to reumatism about half a year ago. Got a thorax xray done a few days back and i have a tumor the size of a large mans fist next to my throat. Life can turn upside down pretty fast
Oh dear. I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope the treatment goes well Thank you for sharing this. Hopefully it will trigger someone else to check a symptom they were concerned about
@@DrJamesGill thanks. So far they have taken a small sample from it and done genetic testing on it. While it is cancer its seems to be the least agressive one so im keeping my fingers crossed. I have been in and out of the hospitals for the last 6 months for blood tests and urine tests. What brought me in in the first place was double vision that was caused by an auto imune inflammation of the iris in my eye. The treatment for the condition worked but on the checkup later they found i now had the same thing in my other eye. Thats when they suspected i might have sarkoidosis so they sent me to a specialist that had the x ray done, and after that it was kinda in your face obvious what it was. Whats sad thou is that during this whole time never did anyone think to manualy check my neck and the nodes there. Some of the warning symptoms where there earlier but i have to say this damn cancer is quite the master of disguise. All symptoms i got could easily be explained away rationaly because of my current life situation. Your physical examination videos are golden and something like this should be mandatory to learn in school for everyone Not so everyone can preform one but atleast know what to keep an eye out for.
I do think we need to do more public health campaigns, the problem though is we don’t have the resources currently to deal with the requested tests effectively.
Test results are back and i have a hodkins lymfoma mostly made up of non malignant connective tissue cells. Started my 4 months of chemo therapy yesterday and so far Side effects have been wery mild. Doctors say they give me an over 90% chance of a full recovery. Thankfully i have great public healtcare where i live. Im so thankfull to all the doctors researchers and nurses who give their all to help other People
Dr James Gill, if I have tattoos and a melanoma developed right above one. How difficult it's to diagnose? I know the pigment stays between the epidermis and dermis, but the dark color of the tattoo can cover the mole? Thanks for your wonderful videos and information as always :)
Hello, I watched your thyroid video, Ive had Graves in remission since 2016 but still sick. Do you know anyone that uses your clinical method in the Bay Area? This has seriously impacted my life? My doctors don’t care, I’m in remission with serious muscle pain in legs/hips, and a racing heart w high blood pressure. Please help.
Does 'evolving' need to exist for the ABCDE to become a concern? I.e. if you had a mole that had a bit of pearly colour that is a bit different to other moles, but it has been exactly the same for over a year, would it need to change to be a concern?
Dr Gill, I understand your videos are aimed to educate and perhaps it was never your intention to fall into the ASMR community, would you ever consider doing a video on what it is and why people in that community feel those certain tingles. I have zero knowledge on what goes on but certain videos or sounds will work for a while but if I watch it too consistently it will lose its effects which makes me think it would be a release of some sort of chemical due to an audible que. Perhaps I am over thinking it which is what I always do but could consistently trying to increase whatever may trigger it be detrimental in any way. I apologise for the long message. Just a curious fella from halfway across the world
Hey, could you clarify something for me? I have a mole on my stomach that seems to fall under every bad category of the ABCDE method (minus the evolving since it was the first time i noticed it), I had it checked out by my GP, but they said it was totally fine. Granted it looks similar to other nearby moles, but i just don't understand what to look for if the one good method fornit doesn't seem to work for me? My father was recently diagnosed with a melanoma and it's quite scary to me not being able to reliably know what i should be worried about and what not.
Do i understand correctly that we need ALL 5 of the abcde to be concerned or just one of them is a concern?? I have over 100 moles/beauty marks/sun spots on my skin, its driving me crazy to keep track 🤣
I wonder how many people checked their moles after watching this video. I didn't. I try to avoid self-diagnosis. I rarely go to the doctor, but when I have an issue, that's what I do. Why should I rely on my judgment, when I have access to a trained professional? (Fortunately, I live in Canada, and visits are usually free. I'll repeat that I seldom visit a clinic. It's not like I'm abusing the system.)
The point of public health information like this is to help people who were not necessarily aware that something MIGHT be a problem to encourage them to see their doctor, rather than have people rely on their own impression
How would you know if a mole changed if you never look .. you don't diagnose yourself like that, you observe and then if you see something wrong, you go see a doctor for diagnosis.
As someone at a higher risk for skin cancer due to my sensitivity to the sun I really appreciate this video because it’s a great reminder of what to watch out for when checking my numerous moles around my body and also not a bad plug for people like me having yearly skin checks just to be safe! Due to my sensitivity, for the last nine years I’ve actually owned a front zip swimsuit that has long sleeves, a high collar, and knee length shorts (it’s very similar to a wetsuit) and I use it not only at the beach in the summer but also when I’m cycling or doing any kind of outdoor exercise and it’s drastically improved my enjoyment/performance as a result because I’ve not only reduced the amount of sunburns/sun poisoning I experience but I’ve also dramatically reduced my susceptibility to heat exhaustion from the sun as well and it’s been a huge lifesaver for me that I can’t live without now, it was the single greatest purchase I’ve ever made in my entire life!
Heat exhaustion is another issue all together!
Thank you for clarifying basal cell doesn't follow this entirely.
I went in for a mole on my shoulder, only to discover that stubborn "zit" near my eye was actually more urgent
Edit: that "zit" wasn't acne but basal cell, and was subsequently treated via Mohs surgery.
It’s surprising how often a patient comes in with X, and we also notice Y
@@DrJamesGill oh I agree, mostly due to the number of major surgeries I've endured.
That Mohs surgery, while unpleasant, has nothing on the childhood invasive surgeries I endured.
I’ve been watching this channel for a long time, but I’m actually a first year medical student now (in the USA) and my dermatology exam is in a couple days… this was really informative!
Good luck! Please come back and tell us how it goes 👍👍
This was extremely helpful in setting my mind at ease, it’s always empowering to have an idea of what to look for on my own.
I'm so glad! I’m trying out different areas / formats, as we’ve covered many of the clinical skills now
I'm glad he brought up tanning beds. With the current uproar in America about the government banning gas stoves and gas heating in New structures being built, over asthma concerns, I think to myself "if we are concerned about appliances that cause harm, shouldn't we go for tanning salons first?"
Whilst I do think they SHOULD be banned, the counter argument is inform and give choice.
You don’t need a tan, you do need warmth and heating of a house and heat for cooking food
But we gotta be pretty!
Bro gas stoves were banned in new building in NYC to be environmental friendly not for asma if they cared they would get the homeless people jobs instead of beating them
A tanning bed doesn't give a child in the next room cancer 🙄
Just putting this here to remember it:
A Asymmetry
B Border
C Colour
D Diameter
E Evolving
👍
Can I ask should it be all these or if just one it could be a sign?
I'm thankful that you give us the power to know what to search in case something goes wrong. Thanks again :D
Thanks. It’s about detecting things early
This was super helpful!
I remember, when I was a child I went to see my dermatologist for something... else, I don't even remember what it was, but after I took off my pants, he spotted a mole on my thigh that he really did not like. Took a close look at it and immediately scheduled an appointment to "stamp" it out. I'm kinda surprised there weren't more tests, but I guess... better safe than sorry?
(And I didn't mind, now it's just a small white spot - and it reminds me to check my body for any new or changed moles regularly!)
The approach for potentially minor moles, is frankly just cut it off and have a look.
Thank you so much! I have been watching you since before I wanted to be a PA. I'm in PA school right now and we are on skin in our physical diagnosis class.
Good luck! Any other areas we can help with?
@@DrJamesGill This is just a spit ball idea for those in school who find it hard to say every step and go through a whole physical diagnosis in front of the class. Some bloopers or other students who were nervous throughout the mock physical to show others who struggle are not alone. Because I've watched your videos and my EMT cert involved me doing a quick physical in front of many people I a calm about it but many in my cohort never had to do this before and clearly show it.
75% increased risk after one tanning session?!? Wow!
I can remember YeOlde times, when tans were considered "healthy".
I’m honestly surprised tanning booths are not banned
I had a friend working in a tanning salon.... I definitely went a couple of times ....
I came for the ASMR but i Stayed and subscribed for the valuable medical information
Welcome! I hope you find other interesting t/ useful things here
Very interesting Topic. For me personally too. I have a Skin irregularity (im unsure of the exact classification) since birth that changed quite a bit, but being on top of my head its not really feasible for me to observe any visual change on my own. The Sample send to the Lab recentlly didnt find anything concerning for now but the Dermatologists recommend yearly checkups. So i can only agree with Dr. Gills Recommendations.
Yup, the derm team are always cautious. If you think something has changed, they’ll keep on top of it
Great stuff Dr. Gill.
My dad and his brother both died from melanoma cancer
I have had 8 spots removed and they have all been superficial (stage 0)
I get a skin check every three months
I’m sorry for your loss. But it’s good that you are able to get such active surveillance, hopefully all future ones will remain like that
Thank you for the information. Im sure it will help a lot of people.
I hope so too!
What a weird time for this to be uploaded. About 2.5 weeks ago, I got quite burnt at the beach (must have missed a few spots with the sunscreen) and now I have a small brown lump on the back of my shoulder and the surrounding area is extremely itchy. Could be nothing, but I want to get it checked out just in case.
Certainly get it checked, if only to stop any worry 😊
Great video! About a month back I had spotted a couple of horizontal lines on my toenails and with a quick google I had spotted cancer as one of the diagnoses. Fear hit me pretty hard because I've previously gone through a bout of testicular cancer (4 years ago) and was a week away from my follow up check. A couple of sleepless nights and severe anxiety later, my oncologist tells me that it's a nail injury 😅. Felt like an idiot but the doctor did tell me that it's good that I'm keeping a close eye on unusual spots but it's not good to come to conclusions before actually consulting with him.
The is one issue with Dr Google. But the converse is people do get things checked and are most often reassured, but occasionally it always means things are picked up sooner.
@@DrJamesGill Most definitely! In fact, google played a huge role in the early detection of my previous tumor.
It's better to have a dozen false alarms than miss something serious
In early 2008 I developed a skin issue. Peeling and flaking dry skin. My physician told me that is a subdermal. Its basically face dandruff. However later that year I deployed to Iraq. Well early in the deployment during some training I got sunburned bad. Like, really, really bad.
The bridge of my nose and tips of my ears were literally burnt; blackened and crispy. It was so bad I looked at my friend and said "This isn't the last time I'll have to deal with this." Well, I was right.
A few years ago I noticed a change in the way my face was peeling. At this point I was accustomed to the dry skin but something was different. My nose started to just hurt and I got these dark spots that would come and go. And large patches of skin breaking off and bleeding. So I got it checked; Actenic keratosis. Still dealing with it to this day.
There was a case report about melanoma in fingers due to nail polishes dryer that have a UVB light…. Very scary
I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, I would have had them remove it. I’ve had two moles removed so far that weren’t an issue, just because they were close enough IMO to keep me up at night lol
It’s a difficult balance between helping and harming
Also! (More comments for the algorithm gods) What you said about tanning beds retroactively pissed me off because last week, I drove by a tanning salon that advertised itself with a slogan along the lines of "Get your Vitamin D here, improve your health!" -_-
(Obviously I'm angry at the tanning salon, not you. Thank you for talking about it!)
Yes I really think it’s an industry which should be heavily regulated, from advertising to age restrictions
Thank you so much, Dr. Gill.
Really informative video :)
Glad it was helpful!
Hola doctor Jill, perdón por molestar, pero tengo una pregunta un poco tonta , las maquinitas, creo que se les dice cabinas uv, para secar el esmaltado semipermanente de las uñas ¿son peligrosas? ¿Debería ponerme protector solar en mis manos antes de usarla? Suelo hacerme bastante seguido las uñas y la verdad tengo duda acerca de si la radicación ultravioleta (creo que se le dice así) de las máquinitas puede llegar a ser nociva con el tiempo, gracias 😊 lindo día y saludos🤍
They can be damaging as well. There are cases of melanoma starting under the finger nails -
Not entierly related but i just got diagnosed with lymf node cancer. Got strange symptoms mostly related to reumatism about half a year ago. Got a thorax xray done a few days back and i have a tumor the size of a large mans fist next to my throat. Life can turn upside down pretty fast
Oh dear. I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope the treatment goes well
Thank you for sharing this. Hopefully it will trigger someone else to check a symptom they were concerned about
@@DrJamesGill thanks. So far they have taken a small sample from it and done genetic testing on it. While it is cancer its seems to be the least agressive one so im keeping my fingers crossed. I have been in and out of the hospitals for the last 6 months for blood tests and urine tests. What brought me in in the first place was double vision that was caused by an auto imune inflammation of the iris in my eye. The treatment for the condition worked but on the checkup later they found i now had the same thing in my other eye. Thats when they suspected i might have sarkoidosis so they sent me to a specialist that had the x ray done, and after that it was kinda in your face obvious what it was. Whats sad thou is that during this whole time never did anyone think to manualy check my neck and the nodes there. Some of the warning symptoms where there earlier but i have to say this damn cancer is quite the master of disguise. All symptoms i got could easily be explained away rationaly because of my current life situation.
Your physical examination videos are golden and something like this should be mandatory to learn in school for everyone
Not so everyone can preform one but atleast know what to keep an eye out for.
I do think we need to do more public health campaigns, the problem though is we don’t have the resources currently to deal with the requested tests effectively.
Test results are back and i have a hodkins lymfoma mostly made up of non malignant connective tissue cells. Started my 4 months of chemo therapy yesterday and so far Side effects have been wery mild. Doctors say they give me an over 90% chance of a full recovery. Thankfully i have great public healtcare where i live. Im so thankfull to all the doctors researchers and nurses who give their all to help other People
Me: * cough *
WebMD: "Cancer."
That's why we don't like Dr Google
I’m not sure you’ll get a home kit, but I can see it as part of a decision making tool for referrals
Very informative
Glad you think so!
Dr James Gill, if I have tattoos and a melanoma developed right above one. How difficult it's to diagnose?
I know the pigment stays between the epidermis and dermis, but the dark color of the tattoo can cover the mole?
Thanks for your wonderful videos and information as always :)
Visually I would imagine difficult. However if there is concern and doubt about the visual appearance, a biopsy would give the answer
Hello, I watched your thyroid video, Ive had Graves in remission since 2016 but still sick. Do you know anyone that uses your clinical method in the Bay Area? This has seriously impacted my life? My doctors don’t care, I’m in remission with serious muscle pain in legs/hips, and a racing heart w high blood pressure. Please help.
I’m sorry, I’m based in the UK. I can only advise discuss the issue with your doctor
Thank you for this! Wish I had a GP like you!
I’m glad it was useful.
It's all good if you can actually get a GP appointment
Thank fully this is something which can also be triaged with a photo
I've got moles in strange places. I have two between my little toe and fourth toe and I am a little worried about them.
Does 'evolving' need to exist for the ABCDE to become a concern? I.e. if you had a mole that had a bit of pearly colour that is a bit different to other moles, but it has been exactly the same for over a year, would it need to change to be a concern?
If you are concerned about a mole, I’d advise seeing your GP
If a mole of this type is cancerous, could its cells be transferred to other external or internal areas of the body or would it just be localised?
Cancer can spread, hence importance of picking them up early
In struggling to understand the Measuring. Is it only the width and not height of the mole ?
The longest dimension
Dr Gill, I understand your videos are aimed to educate and perhaps it was never your intention to fall into the ASMR community, would you ever consider doing a video on what it is and why people in that community feel those certain tingles. I have zero knowledge on what goes on but certain videos or sounds will work for a while but if I watch it too consistently it will lose its effects which makes me think it would be a release of some sort of chemical due to an audible que.
Perhaps I am over thinking it which is what I always do but could consistently trying to increase whatever may trigger it be detrimental in any way.
I apologise for the long message. Just a curious fella from halfway across the world
I think it’s a really interesting research field. When there are some studies with good data for their conclusions - maybe
if not a mole, if a age spot changed like abcd,do you think same chance got melanoma, doctor？thank you 🙏
I’d get a changed skin lesion checked
Melanoma exam video please
This is essentially that. I’m not sure what else would be added
anyplace people can just send a picture and get an opinion?
Thank you so much 🙏🙂
You're welcome 😊
Every hypochondriacs nightmare - a normal mole
I do sometimes wonder what the balance of help to harm is, but I'm pretty sure it is in favour of talking about these things 😊
Hey, could you clarify something for me? I have a mole on my stomach that seems to fall under every bad category of the ABCDE method (minus the evolving since it was the first time i noticed it), I had it checked out by my GP, but they said it was totally fine. Granted it looks similar to other nearby moles, but i just don't understand what to look for if the one good method fornit doesn't seem to work for me?
My father was recently diagnosed with a melanoma and it's quite scary to me not being able to reliably know what i should be worried about and what not.
Get a second opinion
Do i understand correctly that we need ALL 5 of the abcde to be concerned or just one of them is a concern?? I have over 100 moles/beauty marks/sun spots on my skin, its driving me crazy to keep track 🤣
Just one is enough for me to pay attention
I got a mole removed this year using this technique! It looked like a jigsaw piece🤣 thankfully it wasn’t cancerous!
I’m glad to hear it was ok.
Really underlines the four steps can be needed for reassurance - home, Gp, specialist, biopsy
I wonder how many people checked their moles after watching this video. I didn't. I try to avoid self-diagnosis. I rarely go to the doctor, but when I have an issue, that's what I do. Why should I rely on my judgment, when I have access to a trained professional? (Fortunately, I live in Canada, and visits are usually free. I'll repeat that I seldom visit a clinic. It's not like I'm abusing the system.)
The point of public health information like this is to help people who were not necessarily aware that something MIGHT be a problem to encourage them to see their doctor, rather than have people rely on their own impression
How would you know if a mole changed if you never look .. you don't diagnose yourself like that, you observe and then if you see something wrong, you go see a doctor for diagnosis.
Thank you so much doctor for everything 👍💯🙏🏻💯👍🙏🏻❤💯👍🙏🏻❤💯👍🙏🏻❤
Always welcome
quite useful, im passing this info on :)
Glad it was helpful! Hopefully it will help anyone else you share it with.
So soften catching these things early has a HUGE impact on the outcome 😊
интересно какой это язык и откуда этот госпадин
I’m from Derbyshire in England
I can barely hear a thing you're saying. Even with the volume up. That said, I still watch! Lol! I used to tan all the time. I hope I don't get it.
Hmm I wonder why that is. The volume seems fine here
@@DrJamesGill maybe I need my hearing checked! Lol
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing it doesn’t go in fruit salad.
Go to a doctor, best method to check if you have Melanoma!!!!!🤕
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