How can a dermatologist diagnose skin cancer?

The doc will numb the area with an injection of 2% Lidocaine.
A small piece of the lesion will then be shaved or clipped off and placed in a container of Formalin (a clear liquid preservative) with your name and onfo on the container.
The container will be sent to a lab where a technician or pathologist will examine the tissue cells under a microscope.
They will then make a diagnoses and send the written biopsy report to your doctor.

Thank you for chosing my answer as best!
If you had to have this procedure done, I wish you all the best results.
nurse Spacecat Report It

they do a biopsy

They check for mole changes (which you should do annually anyway) and biopsy a suspicious area.

They take a biopsy which is a small piece of skin off the area and look at it under a high power microscope. Cancer cells look different than regular skin cells.


http://www.skincancer.org/melanoma/index...

They usually cut a little piece of it and send it to a lab for some testing.

xray?

From experience and tests including scrapings and biopsy. I had a growth on my side and the dermatologist recognized it and said that it was nothing to worry about..

by taking a sample from you and sending it to the lab for testing, called a biopsy.

They do not diagnose. They send the specimen to a dermatopathologist who does the diagnosis

We the people of the people and for the people in the United States of America will learn what Cancer looks like after you've died from it unless you look deep into a microscope and actually see what these cells really look like and why they recruit your healthy cells to attack instead of protect.

im guessing they take a look at the skin and look for signs of skin cancer. some signs are :# A lump on your skin that may be small, smooth, pale, waxy, or red, and may bleed or crust over;
# A flat patch on your skin that may be red, rough, dry, or scaly
# A lump or patch that grows or changes color or shape;
# A sore that does not heal;
# An itchy lump or patch;
# A spot that becomes itchy, tender, or painful;
# A spot that becomes red and/or swollen;
# A mole that grows or otherwise changes its appearance

They take a sample of the skin (questioned area) and have it tested for carcinoma or melanoma. Then if it is cancerous, they put liquid nitrogen on it to burn it off. In my case, I think they were experimenting, I had discoloration on the tip of my nose which caused a dent. They gave me a shot on my nose and cut the end open. He dug around in there for a bit and said"hmmm, I haven,t seen this in a while" and cauterized the wound and I never heard anything else. To make matters worse, my nose still has a dent where he cobbed my face and I never knew whether it was cancerous or not. Anyway it isn,t as painful as it sounds. Just make sure you get someone reputable, and not the veteranarian I had.