With the ABCDE rule, you can check yourself at home whether your birthmarks require a medical check-up. Each letter of the ABCDE rule stands for a characteristic that a skin lesion, such as a mole, can have.
This is how the ABCDE rule works
The letters stand for:
A = asymmetry
- Does the mole have an even, round shape? It’s good.
- Is the birthmark uneven, asymmetrical? Then you should see a dermatologist.
B = boundary
- Are the edges sharp and smooth? It’s good.
- Are the edges blurred, jagged, uneven, or rough? Then you should see a dermatologist.
C = Colour (Farbe)
- Does the mole have an even color? It’s good.
- Does it have different colors, spots or dots? Then you should see a dermatologist.
D = diameter
- Is the mole smaller than five millimeters at the widest point? It’s good.
- Is it larger than five millimeters or is the shape hemispherical? Then you should see a dermatologist.
E = grandeur and development
- Is the mole flat and not changing shape? It’s good.
- Is it higher than a millimeter, are nodules forming or is it getting bigger? Then you should see a dermatologist.
This post also appeared at FOCUS online.
