The one I'm most familiar with is basal cell skin cancer.  After getting a sunburn each Memorial Day as a child, and riding my bike as an adult 10 miles a day wearing a bathing suit top and no sunscreen, forever seeking the perfect tan, I developed basal cell on my back.  I obviously couldn't see the spot, except in a mirror, and it didn't look like much.  When the water from the shower would hit my back, the spot felt funny.  I saw a physician's assistant about it, and she didn't think it was much of anything.  Several months later, it was still there, so I saw my regular Dr., who sent me to a dermatologist.  He excised it with an oval cut surrounding the lesion, and sent it to a lab.  It was cancer, but since basal cell grows slowly, it was still stage one.  I was lucky.  Basal cell is the mildest form of skin cancer,and is slow growing and easily curable if taken care of early enough.

Since I abused my skin all those years, I go to a dermatologist once a year for a head to toe check up.  I've had four or more pre cancerous lesions removed.  Those manifest themselves as scaly patches that don't really go away.  Look for them on your nose, ears, top of your scalp and cheeks especially.

Look at any of the dermatology sites available on the web to see pictures of what the various skin cancers look like.  Even melanoma, if found right away can be cured.

http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/medicine/dermatology/melton/content1.htm

Above is the URL for a dermatology atlas.

A VERY interesting post comedoness.  After reading through your post, although I have not noticed anything suspicious, I have now determined to make a specific request of my doctor to take particular notice during my next examination.  I take SO much for granted.

Carlos, we all do.  When I was younger, all we cared about was getting a tan, the faster the better.  I'm paying the price now.  Sunblock is so much better now, and really helps.

Yeah I went for a screening last year and all was good. IM a little short on top "balding" hehe and I've been noticing white spots. I think its just all the scars from me bumping my head on stuff "im 6'3"" but now im making sure I always have sunblock on my head!

As a child you're not worried about this kind of this but this just goes to show how much of an effect it can have on you. Taking care of your skin while you're young can go a long way to improving yourself in the future and avoiding this.

Hi, I'm the_doktor, and I'm being skinned inch by inch by my dermatologist....who's also making me pay her to do so!

I grew up in Florida, and unless you really, truly burned in the sun, no one put sunscreen on their kids when I was growing up. You just went outside. And into the pool. All day, in the sun. If you hit the beach, you'd maybe get hit with sunscreen when you first get there (probably SPF8), and told to put your t-shirt on if you started to burn. 

So as a blue-eyed blonde, I'm right with y'all on the skin cancer check. Both parents have had skin cancers removed. My dad's have been extensive, though skin and into muscle on his back, shoulder, and arm. Some of his exposure was during his two tours in Viet Nam, where they went shirtless without sunscreen because the sunscreen all smelled like coconuts...which don't grow in Viet Nam. If they'd put on the sunscreen, the enemy would've been able to smell them! 

"Those manifest themselves as scaly patches that don't really go away."

Have a couple of those on my legs that I'm keeping an eye on.  *sigh* And the spot she hacked off the side of my nose just healed over!  Garumph! 

Side note: I know an Australian who is floored that people on the beaches in Florida don't have their kids in sun hat, sunglasses, SPF-treated clothing, and sunblock. She says that in Australia, if you just let a kid run around the beach in a swimsuit, it's like you're neglecting the kid's health.  Then again, they have the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, so I guess they are at the forefront of prevention! 

Amen!  

I have a rough, irregular patch on my leg that is on the list of "things to be looked at" by my dermatologist. It's not dermatitis (I have lotions for those), and it's not anything else I know of. There is a kind of skin cancer that presents as a rough spot, so I may be skinned in another 1" square incriment!