Skin Spot Checker

Found a mole or spot you’re not sure about? Answer a few quick questions and our Skin Spot Checker will assess it against the same warning signs a dermatologist uses — then tell you how urgently it should be looked at. It takes about 60 seconds, it’s completely free, and your answers stay private.

Check My Spot Book Appointment

Check Your Spot in About 60 Seconds

Walk through three short steps. There’s nothing to download and no account needed — just answer honestly and you’ll get a clear, color-coded priority level with your next step.

Three Simple Steps

1. Describe the spot

Tell us where the spot is on your body and how long you’ve noticed it. Location and duration both factor into the assessment.

2. Note what it looks like

Check off any appearance features that apply — asymmetry, irregular borders, multiple colors, size, and texture — based on the dermatologist ABCDE criteria.

3. Get your priority level

The tool weighs your answers and returns a clear priority — from low concern to urgent — plus a plain-English breakdown and the next step to take.

The Spot Checker mirrors how a dermatologist thinks through a new lesion — appearance, behavior, and history — and turns it into a priority you can act on.

How It Works

What Your Result Means

Low concern

No major red flags detected. Keep monitoring and book a routine annual skin exam.

Worth monitoring

At least one feature warrants a professional opinion to be sure. A short visit settles it.

Multiple warning signs

Several characteristics commonly seen in suspicious lesions. A dermatoscopy exam is recommended soon.

Urgent priority

A red-flag symptom (bleeding, crusting, or rapid change) was detected. This warrants same-week evaluation.

Every spot is sorted into one of four priority levels. No result is a diagnosis — it's a recommendation for how soon a professional should take a look.

The ABCDEs of Melanoma

The Spot Checker is built around the ABCDE rule — the same shorthand board-certified dermatologists use to catch melanoma early, when it's most treatable. If a mole shows one or more of these signs, it deserves a professional look:

•  Asymmetry — one half of the spot doesn't match the other.

•  Border — edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.

•  Color — more than one shade: brown, black, red, white, or blue within a single spot.

•  Diameter — larger than 6mm, about the size of a pencil eraser.

•  Evolving — any change in size, shape, color, or elevation over time, or a new symptom like bleeding or itching.

A Helpful Guide — Not a Diagnosis

The Skin Spot Checker is designed to help you decide when to act — not to replace a professional exam. Many harmless spots share features with concerning ones, and some skin cancers look unremarkable to the untrained eye. A dermatologist can examine a spot under magnification (dermoscopy) and, if needed, biopsy it in-office for a definitive answer.

See a dermatologist promptly if a spot bleeds, crusts, won't heal, grows, changes color, or simply worries you — no matter what result this tool gives.

From Online Check to Expert Answer

Board-Certified Dermatologists

Spots are evaluated by physicians trained specifically in skin cancer detection, using dermoscopy for a closer, more accurate look.

Same-Visit Biopsy

If something looks suspicious, we can biopsy it during the same appointment and send it to a certified lab — no separate referral needed.

Two Valley Locations + Virtual

Choose Encino or Glendale, or start with a virtual dermatology visit. Same-week appointments are available for urgent concerns.

If your result suggests a closer look, BHSkin's board-certified dermatologists can take you from "I'm not sure" to a clear answer — often in a single visit, at our Encino or Glendale offices or by virtual consultation.

Why BHSkin

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The Skin Spot Checker is an educational triage tool, not a medical diagnosis. It organizes the same warning signs a dermatologist looks for and tells you how urgently a spot may warrant a professional opinion. Only an in-person exam by a board-certified dermatologist — often with dermoscopy or a biopsy — can confirm whether a spot is benign or cancerous.
Your result is based on three things: how the spot looks (the clinical ABCDE criteria — Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter), how it behaves (bleeding, crusting, changing, itching, or failing to heal), and how long you’ve had it. Certain behaviors — bleeding, repeated crusting, or visible change — are treated as ‘red flags’ that escalate the result to urgent, because these are the symptoms most associated with skin cancer.
The ABCDE rule is a memory aid dermatologists use to spot melanoma early. A is for Asymmetry (one half doesn’t match the other), B is for Border (ragged or blurred edges), C is for Color (multiple shades within one spot), D is for Diameter (larger than 6mm, about a pencil eraser), and E is for Evolving (any change in size, shape, or color over time). The Spot Checker walks you through each of these.
Yes. A low-concern result means the tool didn’t detect obvious red flags, but it cannot see your skin the way a dermatologist can. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a full-body skin exam at least once a year — more often if you have a history of sunburns, tanning, atypical moles, or skin cancer. If a spot ever changes, get it checked right away regardless of your result.
The Spot Checker runs entirely in your browser — your answers about the spot aren’t sent or stored anywhere, and the tool never asks for any personal information. When you’re ready, you simply call the office nearest you or get directions. We never sell your information, and anything you share with us by phone is handled in line with our privacy policy and HIPAA standards.
BHSkin reserves same-week appointments for urgent skin concerns at both our Encino and Glendale offices. If your result is flagged urgent, request an appointment right away — or call us directly. For convenience, we also offer virtual dermatology visits so a physician can review your concern quickly.

Peace of Mind Is One Appointment Away.

Whether your spot is low concern or a red flag, the safest answer comes from an expert. Book a skin check with BHSkin in Encino or Glendale today.

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