Yesterday I made a quick stop to see my dermatologist. The reason: to have him take a look at a few tiny moles on my back. Granted, I was pretty certain they were nothing to be overly concerned with, but I'm a firm believer in being proactive in my health care, so I thought it was at least having a doctor take a look at them.

As I anticipated, they were thankfully nothing more than common moles. Still, he took some photos of them, measured them, and told me to keep an eye on them over the next six months to a year. If they grow or change color during that time, he said it may warrant taking a second look.

As I left, the doctor shook my hand and gave me a pamphlet on moles. Not exactly the most interesting piece of literature, for sure, but it contained some worthwhile information about how to recognize early warning signs of malignant melanoma in your moles. Based on what I read, dermatologists suggest using the ABCDs of melanoma when examining your moles.

Asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other half.Border. The border or edges of the mole are ragged, blurred, or irregular.

Color. The color of the mole is not the same throughout or it has shades of tan, brown, black, red, white, or blue.

Diameter. While melanomas are usually greater than 6mm (about the size of a pencil eraser), they can also be smaller. They can also change, bleed, or itch.

If a mole displays any of these signs, it should be checked promptly by a dermatologist.