Why Winter is the Best Time for Your Annual Skin Cancer Check

A skin cancer check should be part of everyone’s preventive health routine, especially when you live in Arizona, where the sun shines nearly 300 sunny days per year. A check takes just 20 minutes, and there’s no better time to get yours than now.

Winter brings welcome milder temperatures to the East Valley, making it the ideal time to book your annual skin cancer screening.

At Skin Care Specialists, with offices in East Mesa, North Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Queen Creek, AZ, our experienced dermatology team recommends that patients have their skin checked this time of year for several reasons.

Here’s why.

Advantages of scheduling during the cooler months

Faded tans reveal subtle spots

Summer pigment and active sunburns make it more difficult to detect irregular moles. As color fades during cooler weather, your baseline skin tone returns. This contrast helps us spot dysplastic nevi, atypical lesions, and early carcinomas that might otherwise be hidden beneath your tan.

Healing happens away from harsh sun

If an exam reveals a lesion that requires a biopsy, liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, or surgical excision, the treated area needs time to recover. Fresh surgical wounds heal better when they aren't exposed to direct UV rays or heavy sweat. Also, winter clothing naturally covers healing sites, lowering the risk of post-surgical sun damage or hyperpigmentation.

Winter schedules offer greater availability.

Like most dermatology practices, we experience greater demand during the spring. Booking during winter offers a greater choice of appointment times with less waiting, allowing prompt attention if a spot requires further testing.

How often should I have a skin check?

Most adults need a full-body examination once every twelve months. During these visits, we check you from head to toe, including areas that rarely see sunlight, like the soles of your feet and the spaces between your toes.

Certain individuals need visits every three to six months, depending on personal risk factors. These include:

Those with a history of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or melanoma
Anyone with a first-degree relative who had skin cancer
Individuals with more than fifty common moles or several atypical moles
Organ transplant recipients and individuals taking immunosuppressive therapies
Anyone with significant past sun exposure or blistering sunburns during childhood

If you fall into any of these higher-risk groups, you shouldn't wait twelve months between checks. We'll outline a personalized screening cadence that fits your health history.

Daily sunscreen remains essential even in winter

Just because the thermostat has dropped doesn’t mean you can drop your guard on skin cancer prevention.

Two primary types of rays reach the ground every day:

Ultraviolet B rays cause visible sunburn and vary with season and time of day.
Ultraviolet A rays maintain a consistent intensity from sunrise to sunset year-round.

UVA rays penetrate clouds, haze, and car windows, reaching deep into the dermis to destroy collagen and alter cellular DNA.

About 80 percent of ultraviolet rays penetrate cloud cover. Because Arizona averages nearly 300 sunny days per year and sits at an elevated desert altitude, ambient UV levels remain high enough to cause progressive cellular damage year-round.

To protect your skin, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every morning. Apply it to your face, neck, ears, and hands. Pair daily sunscreen with an annual professional exam to keep your skin healthy and protected.

To book your skin check, contact our office closest to you today.