How to spot a dangerous mole

Each year more than 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer, and around 2,000 die from it.

Melanoma causes the deaths of more women in their twenties than any other cancer.

Sunbeds and cheap holidays abroad in the sun have helped melanoma rates quadruple in the UK in the past thirty years.

Although women are more likely to develop melanoma, more men die from it. This may be due to a lack of awareness of the signs, or because they don't like to bother the doctor with an odd looking mole.

As with most cancers, the earlier a melanoma is detected, the more effective treatment is likely to be. Most moles are harmless, but we should all be able to recognise when a mole suddenly changes in appearance.

So check your skin regularly, and look out for the ABCD signs which indicate a mole needs to be seen by your doctor.

This article was published on Thu 5 August 2010