Diagnosis. When a spot on the skin raises suspicion with an individual and with their primary care physician, they will be referred to a specialized skin doctor or a dermatologist. A dermatologist gathers a comprehensive summary of the individual's medical history and certain lifestyle choices or habits. Then they will perform an exam to see what the shape, texture, color, and size of the spot in question looks like. Another thing that a dermatologist will check in regards to skin cancer is swelling or hardening of the lymph nodes. Even if the cumulative result of those things does not likely point to the spot being skin cancer, most practitioners will cut off a small sample of the spot to send to a laboratory for a biopsy. The biopsy will be able to tell if the cells of the skin lesion are cancerous or not.
