Printable ABCDE mole self-check sheet

A free, one-page handout for clinics, schools, libraries and community groups: the five ABCDE warning signs, when to see a doctor, a body map and a monthly log. No sign-up. Print it on A4 or US Letter, or save it as a PDF from the print dialog. You are welcome to copy and hand it out.

Only the sheet below is printed. It is written for black-and-white printing.

ABCDE mole self-check

A one-page guide for a monthly look at your skin. Educational, not a diagnosis.

How to check: once a month, in good light, look over all of your skin, including your back, scalp, soles and nails. Use a mirror or ask someone to help. Compare both sides of your body and note any spot that stands out or changes.

Asymmetry. One half of the spot is unlike the other half.

Border. The outline is irregular, scalloped or poorly defined.

Color. The color varies: shades of tan, brown or black, or patches of white, red or blue.

Diameter. Usually larger than 6 mm (a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, but melanomas can be smaller.

Evolving. It looks different from your other moles, or is changing in size, shape or color.

Raised lump? Think EFG: Elevated, Firm, Growing. Some melanomas are raised, firm and growing and may not fit the ABCDE pattern at all. Some have little or no color and look pink or skin-colored.

When to see a doctor

  • A new mole in an adult, or a mole that is changing in size, shape or color, or one spot that looks different from all your others: book an appointment with a doctor (GP, family doctor or dermatologist), ideally to be seen within 2 weeks. Do not wait to see if it changes.
  • A mole or spot that bleeds, crusts, itches or hurts, or a sore that does not heal: be seen within 1 to 2 weeks.
  • A reassuring self-check does not rule out skin cancer; only a biopsy can diagnose melanoma. If you are worried about any spot, get it checked.

Body map

FrontRLBackLR

Mark each spot you want to watch with a dot and a number (1, 2, 3…). Use the same number in the log. R / L = your right / left.

Monthly log

MonthSpot #What changed? (size, shape, color, bleeding, itch — or “no change”)

Tip: a clear, dated photo next to a ruler makes changes easier to see and to show a doctor.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology, aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/abcdes-melanoma · NHS, nhs.uk/conditions/melanoma-skin-cancer/symptoms · National Cancer Institute, cancer.gov/types/skin/moles-fact-sheet · Cancer Research UK, cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/melanoma/symptoms

Free to print and share. Educational, not a diagnosis. checkmole.com/tools/abcde-checker/ · Not medically reviewed.By CheckMole (Aeoria Apps), an independent, non-clinical publisher. AI-assisted. Updated October 2026.