More than one million people nationwide are affected by skin cancer each year. This year alone, it’s estimated there will be close to 68,000 new cases with more than 62,000 of those being classified as melanoma -- the most serious type of skin cancer. More than 11,000 of those cases will result in death.

Early detection of melanoma can be found by following a simple ABCD assessment:

• Asymmetry (one half of the mole does not match the other half)
• Border irregularity (the edges are ragged, notched, or blurred)
• Color (the pigmentation is not uniform, with variable colors of tan, brown, or black)
• Diameter greater than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser)