Why Winter Is a Great Time for a Skin Checkup

It’s the beginning of a new year. You may be making resolutions and to-do lists for the months ahead. Don’t forget your skin health. Have you had a skin checkup in the past year? 

Our board-certified dermatologists with Seacoast Dermatology perform thorough skin checks to ensure your skin health. 

Skin cancer is on the rise: It’s increased exponentially in the past 50 years. Basal cell skin cancer has increased more than 100%, and squamous cell skin cancer has increased over 263% in that time period. Over a million Americans have melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. 

It may seem contradictory, but winter is the perfect time for a skin cancer check. Our dermatologists explain why. 

A new year is an opportunity to assess your health

Were you just too busy during the year to keep some of your doctor’s appointments? Maybe your dermatologist appointment was one of them. 

The new year provides an opportunity to assess your priorities. Your health should be one of the top items on your list. Now that the holidays are over, it's a good time to catch up on important doctor’s appointments. 

The weather is cold, and you’re not outside as much, so there’s more time to devote to body maintenance. That should include skin care. After all, your skin is the largest organ in your body. 

Delayed effects of summer sun 

Did you get a lot of sun this past summer? If you love the outdoors, it's easy to overdo time spent in the sun. Damage from summer sun may not appear instantly. For instance, changes to moles can be gradual. You may not notice a change in a mole that isn't easy to spot. 

You don't see as much of your skin in the winter 

You’re likely wearing long pants, turtlenecks, and sweaters in January. You’re not as attuned to looking at your body because it's covered up. 

Your significant other isn't slathering suntan lotion on your back, so they may not see as much of the areas of your body that you can't see. 

Melanoma grows fast 

You may think you can spot a change in your skin, but do you know that people only spot about 50% of melanomas during a self-check? Are you satisfied with only a 50% success rate? 

You shouldn’t be. 

Melanoma isn’t as common as basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, but it can be deadly because it spreads fast once it moves into the underlayers of your skin. When we catch it early, we can remove it before it spreads. 

Call us at Seacoast Dermatology today to schedule your skin checkup this winter. A skin check can provide you assurance that your skin is in good health.