Which instruction should the nurse plan to include in a community skin cancer education program?

• A. Limit tanning bed use.
• B. Keep a body map of skin lesions.
• C. Examine your body every 2 months for lesions.
• D. Avoid the sun after 3 p.m.

Answer: (B)

Monitoring changes in skin lesions over time is the key idea. A community education plan that teaches people to keep a body map of skin lesions gives a practical, repeatable tool for tracking what’s on their skin. By drawing or marking locations of moles or spots and recording details like size, color, border, and the date, individuals create a baseline they can compare against during future checks. This makes it easier to notice new lesions or changes in existing ones promptly, which is critical for catching skin cancer early when it’s most treatable. Regular updates to the map, plus ongoing monthly self-exams, empower people to seek evaluation quickly if a lesion grows, changes color, becomes irregular, or new lesions appear.

While limiting tanning bed use is beneficial for reducing risk, and routine self-exams are helpful, the body map provides a concrete, trackable method for ongoing surveillance. Waiting longer, such as every two months, can miss rapid changes, and avoiding sun after 3 p.m. isn’t a reliable standalone strategy and doesn’t support ongoing monitoring.