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| There's a new simple test to check if you have skin cancer |
WE ALL know the drill when it comes to checking your skin for funny-looking moles - but there's a new skin cancer theory in town.
The breaking news this morning comes from a new study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Scientists undertaking research into skin cancer claim having more than 11 moles on one arm indicates a higher-than-average risk of skin cancer or melanoma.
It's thought having a significant number of moles on the right arm is a good indicator of total moles on the body - of which, more than 100 indicates five times the normal risk.
The British in-depth study looked thoroughly into data from 3,000 twins in the UK and related that back to the sometimes-agressive form of cancer.
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| Counting your mole on the right arm could be the next big thing |
There are three different types of skin cancer: Basil cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
The latter, melanoma, is the most serious type of skin cancer and affects more than 13,000 people in the UK each year.
The news comes just days after it was revealed tall people are more likely to develop cancer.
The risk of cancer increases by 18 per cent in women and 11 per cent in men for every four inches in height, a 50-year study published last week claims.
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| There are three different types of skin cancer |
Dr Emelie Benyi, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden where the research was carried out, said: “Our studies show taller individuals are more likely to develop cancer but it is unclear so far if they also have a higher risk of dying from cancer or have an increased mortality overall.
“To our knowledge, this is the largest study performed on linkage between height and cancer including both sexes.”
Scientists studied 5.5 million men and women born in Sweden between 1938 and 1991.
They followed the group from 1958 until the end of 2011 and found the cancer risk rose for every four inches of height.
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