Dr. Ben Wiese

Not every skin cancer is obvious.

This basal cell carcinoma, located just above the patient’s left eyebrow, blended almost perfectly into the surrounding skin. To the naked eye, it was incredibly easy to miss.

But dermoscopy tells a different story.

Under magnification, classic features become visible, including:
🔍 Fine arborizing (branching) blood vessels
🔍 Brown leaf-like structures (pigmented clods)

These are hallmark features that help distinguish basal cell carcinoma from benign lesions and allow for earlier diagnosis.

The good news? Basal cell carcinoma is highly treatable when detected early. Left untreated, however, it can continue to grow and cause significant local tissue destruction, particularly in delicate areas such as around the eyes, nose, and ears.

One of the best ways to reduce your risk is to protect your skin every single day.

☀️ Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every morning.
🧴 Use 5 mL (approximately one teaspoon) to adequately cover your face, ears, and the front and back of your neck. Most people apply far less than this, meaning they receive significantly less protection than the SPF listed on the bottle.

Daily sun protection, seeking shade, wearing protective clothing, and regular skin examinations all play an important role in preventing skin cancer and detecting it early.

Sometimes, the most dangerous lesions are the ones that don’t stand out.

Micro melanoma in situ alert! Learn more at www.DrBenWiese.com

🚨 Where was the last place you checked your skin?

For most people… it wasn’t their scalp.

This melanoma was completely hidden beneath this patient’s hair. She had no idea it was there.

One of the biggest myths about melanoma is that it only develops where the sun shines.

It doesn’t.

Melanoma can develop in places that receive little or no sun exposure, including:
• The scalp
• Under the nails
• The palms of the hands
• The soles of the feet
• The ge***al area
• Around the a**s

In fact, Bob Marley died from melanoma that started beneath a toenail—a powerful reminder that this cancer doesn’t always appear where we expect it.

That’s why every thorough skin examination should include the scalp. A few extra seconds could make the difference between finding a melanoma early… or too late.

If you have thick hair, ask your healthcare provider to part the hair and examine the scalp carefully. Your hairdresser may also be the first person to notice a changing spot—so don’t ignore it if they mention something unusual.

Melanoma doesn’t care where it grows. Neither should your skin check.

📍Dr. Ben Wiese Private Skin Cancer Clinic | Kelowna, BC

Not every melanoma is dark black or obviously suspicious.

This lesion appeared as a subtle pink-and-brown spot on the upper back. Under dermoscopy, several concerning features became apparent, including colour variation within an area of regression and arborizing blood vessels. These findings prompted removal.

Histopathology confirmed melanoma, with a Breslow thickness of 0.45 mm.

Melanoma can present in many different ways. While some lesions display the classic ABCDE features, others are far more subtle and may only reveal their true nature with dermoscopic examination.

This case highlights the value of expert skin examinations and dermoscopy in identifying melanomas at an early stage, when treatment is often simpler and outcomes are generally more favourable.

Regular skin checks are particularly important for individuals with a personal or family history of skin cancer, significant sun exposure, or changing skin lesions.

Educational purposes only. Images shared with appropriate patient consent.

🚨 Who is more likely to die from melanoma?

Swipe your eyes from left to right.

On the left is someone with very few moles.
On the right is someone with hundreds.

Most people immediately choose the person on the right.

❌ It’s a trick question.

The person with more moles has a higher lifetime risk of developing melanoma. That’s well established.

But if the person with very few moles develops a melanoma, it is more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, because neither they nor their healthcare provider may be expecting it. These melanomas often don’t stand out as much simply because there are so few other moles to compare them with.

Meanwhile, patients with many moles are often monitored more closely, perform regular skin checks, and are more likely to have suspicious lesions detected earlier.

The lesson?

Melanoma doesn’t only happen to “moley” people.

It can develop in anyone.

Whether you have 5 moles or 500, become familiar with your own skin, look for anything new or changing, and don’t ignore a spot simply because you’ve “never had many moles.”

Early detection remains one of the most powerful tools we have in reducing deaths from melanoma.

📚 Educational concept adapted from a presentation by Skin Cancer Conference, Brisbane.

“Happy wife, happy life.” That’s exactly what my patient said to me this week after a surprising diagnosis.

He wasn’t concerned about his skin at all. But his wife? She spotted something new and insisted it needed checking. He brushed it off, convinced it was nothing, but she went ahead and booked the appointment anyway.

Lo and behold… the spot she was worried about turned out to be a melanoma.

I told him, “Lucky you, to have someone who cares enough to pay attention.”

I see this almost every day in my practice. Wives and partners are often the unsung heroes of early skin cancer detection. Men tend to brush things off, but partners are usually the ones who notice when a spot is new, changing, not healing, or just acting like an “ugly duckling” that stands out from the rest.

The reality is, as we get older, it becomes much harder to examine our own skin thoroughly. We become reliant on our loved ones to help us keep an eye on things.

So here is your reminder: check your partner’s skin. Look out for them. And if they tell you a spot looks new—listen to them! Learn more at www.DrBenWiese.com

Tag the person who has your back (and checks it, too!). 👇

This tiny spot behind her ear was melanoma.

She couldn’t see it. She didn’t feel it. She just came in to be proactive — and that decision may have saved her life.

Skin cancer can hide anywhere on your body, even in places you’d never think to check. If you’ve been putting off a full skin check, this is your sign.

Learn more or book a private skin cancer assessment at www.drbenwiese.com  

Hidden skin cancer on the ear 👂🏻

“Infiltrative basal cell carcinoma hiding in the antihelix of a right ear – easy to miss, even up close.

This is why full body skin exams matter: you have to look for the *non‑obvious* lesions, in the places no one checks.

If you’re at risk, see a skin cancer physician at least once a year, every year.

Want to know what to look for and when to book? Learn more at **drbenwiese.com**.”

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