About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffMake an appointment with your family doctor or a general practitioner if you notice any unusual skin changes that worry you. In some cases, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in skin diseases and conditions (dermatologist).
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For skin cancer, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- Do I have skin cancer?
- What type of skin cancer do I have?
- Will I need additional tests?
- What are my treatment options?
- What are the potential risks of each treatment?
- Will surgery leave a scar?
- Do I have an increased risk of additional skin cancers?
- How can I reduce my risk of additional skin cancers?
- Should I have regular skin exams to check for additional skin cancers?
- Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?
- What will determine whether I should plan for a follow-up visit?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions at any time that you don't understand something.
- What you need to know about skin cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- What you need to know about melanoma. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/melanoma/allpages. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Melanoma: What it looks like. SkinCancerNet. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/melanoma.html. Accessed April 30, 2010.
- Wood GS, et al. Nonmelanoma skin cancers: Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th edition. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191173937-2/0/1709/0.html#. Accessed April 30, 2010.
- What is skin cancer? SkinCancerNet. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/whatis.html. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Kaposi sarcoma treatment (PDQ): Patient version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/kaposis/patient/allpages/print. Accessed April 30, 2010.
- Skin cancer treatment (PDQ): Health professional version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/skin/healthprofessional. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- Valeyrie-Allanore L, et al. Drug-induced skin, nail and hair disorders. Drug Safety. 2007;30:1011.
- What is Kaposi sarcoma? American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_Kaposis_Sarcoma_21.asp?rnav=cri. Accessed May 18, 2010.
- Lazovich D, et al. Indoor tanning and risk of melanoma: A case-control study in a highly exposed population. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2010;19(6):1557. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2010/05/21/1055-9965.EPI-09-1249.full.pdf. Accessed May 27, 2010.
- Reed KB, et al. Increasing incidence of melanoma among young adults: An epidemiological study in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2012;87:328.
Find Mayo Clinic on