Moles helped make celebs like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford famous.  Their moles were sexy little perfectly-shaped beauty marks that everyone wanted to have.  And did by picking up the press-on variety at the neighborhood beauty supply store.

Unfortunately, though, a mole isn’t just another beauty accessory; it can also be the sign of skin cancer.

One of my best friends has been having trouble with her moles for years, constantly getting them removed. After hearing about her latest round of whack-a-mole, I began to panic; I had never even thought to have my moles looked at! What if they were dangerous? What if I only had days left to live?!

Shaking, I dialed my dermatologist and made an appointment to get everything checked out.  And good thing I did! I thought I only had a couple of moles but it turns out I was wrong.  Unbeknownst to me, moles aren’t only the raised brown marks on your skin – they can also look just like freckles.

In fact, moles can be raised, flat, large, small, dark, or light, and you may not even know that you have some.  And all of them – even those moles that have never seen the sun (yes, like that one on your booty) – can be cancerous, so it’s important to get them checked out  by a professional.  My dermatologist recommended that everyone performs a monthly mole self-check. This will not only allow you to discover any new moles that may be popping up, but to follow the ones you already have. When moles start changing in any way, it could be a sign of a problem.

Here’s what to look for when you do your check, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. If you discover any of the following you should give your Derm a call and have him or her take a look.

The ABCDE’s of Moles:

A: Asymmetry – When the mole is not a consistent shape; when one half of the mole is significantly different from the other half.

B: Border - When the edges of the mole are ragged, blurred, or irregular.

C: Color – If the mole is different colors, or if it contains tones of tan, brown, black, red, white or blue.

D: Diameter – When the diameter of the mole is larger than 6mm (about the size of a pencil eraser).

E: Evolving – If the mole experiences any change over time it could be the sign of a problem.  This is why it’s important to keep an eye on the moles often so you will be able to notice differences over time.

Simple use of sunscreen can help prevent a mole from becoming cancerous. If a mole is found to be suspicious, a dermatologist will likely perform a biopsy to test if the mole is actually cancerous or if it is benign (safe).  The doctor will then remove the mole if it is found to be cancerous.

It’s better to be safe than sorry with moles, so protect them, check them, and have a professional do the same.

Back in the day when Speedo one-pieces were cool, I had no interest in tanning. Although I fought through “sunscreen smear down” sessions with my mom, my skin was still, for the most part, shielded from the sun all summer long. It wasn’t until my friends started wearing bikinis and lots of Hawaiian tropic, that my Irish complexion got it’s first taste of sunburn. I quickly realized that getting the perfect tan wasn’t really in the cards for me…well unless I wanted to look like a leather handbag years later.

It’s scary how many times my skin has peeled, even blistered. I’ve accumulated many freckles, and one of them could easily be cancerous. At least that’s what I hear. Freckles appearing after a sunburn have been associated with an increased risk of melanoma skin cancer – the fatal kind. And even worse, it’s been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once, according to MedicineNet.com.

Clearly we are all guilty of neglecting our skin for vanity’s sake. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy that bronzed glow? But ten, fifteen years from now, we’ll be kicking ourselves when the wrinkles, blotchy sun spots or melanoma develop.

So what can we do now to prevent further sun damage?

1. Always wear sunscreen, SPF 15 or higher, and reapply every 2 hours. Those of us who are fair-skinned, freckled, red-headed and blue-eyed really need to pay attention to this one since we are at more risk that our dark-skinned counterparts.
2. No more tanning beds. You know why!
3. Examine yourself regularly for abnormal skin growths or changes in existing moles and freckles. Self-examination can ensure an early detection of skin cancer.
4. Visit your dermatologist. It is recommended that everyone get a clinical skin exam annually, especially if you spot a new lump or mole.

I hate being a Debbie-downer before summer, but we need save our skin. So wear a higher SPF, go the self-tanning route — anything to keep that precious epidermis young and healthy.

For more information on skin cancer symptoms, please visit www.skincancer.org.

She’ll give you a lap dance, as long as you hold her cane

I guess I’m not the only one who has no idea how to do that damn self breast exam

How to “unlock” your iPhone 3G

Sure! Let’s define Birth Control as abortion!! Sounds like a plan, George W!!!

Yo, stop buying sh*t

I always thought they were recycling this stuff

Oh man, these Belugas are seriously tripping me out

Some best friend she is

Eat your Pork Rinds, Billy! They’re good for you

Sarah Jessica Parker’s Mole…ohmygod you guys, it’s gone!!

I told my Ex we broke up because he was short.

Really, we broke up because he was short and kind of looked like a giant mole that stood upright

To give you a little background, it all started in 2002 when music critic Jim DeRogatis was given a video by a currently unnamed source featuring what appeared to be R. Kelly giving an allegedly underage girl money, then getting a BJ from her, having sex with her, and pissing on her. DeRogatis broke the story in the Chicago Sun-Times, and shortly thereafter R. Kelly was charged with soliciting a minor for child pornography, seven counts of videotaping the acts, and seven counts of producing child pornography. Now, six years after the initial indictment, the trial has begun and it’s like the sexy remix of the O.J. Simpson trial.

Proceedings began in late May with a viewing of the tape so the jurors could see exactly what they’re working with. What they saw was a half hour long video featuring a man that looks a hell of a lot like R. Kelly and a girl that looks a hell of a lot like the alleged victim doing things that are definitely not legal for a 31-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl to do together. However, both Kelly and the girl claim that the individuals in the video are not them, and the defense’s major claim is that the tape is part of an elaborate scheme by the girl’s family to extort money from the singer.

The interesting thing about this claim is that not all of the members of the victim’s family can agree that the girl on the tape is her. While Shonna, Leroy, and Charlotte Edwards (uncle, cousin, and aunt, respectively) deny that the girl on the tape is the alleged victim, four other relatives, including Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards, a former protégé of Kelly’s, say that their relative and the girl on the tape are most certainly one in the same. This allegation is also backed up by the girl’s former BFF Simha Jamison (who, BTW, said she recognized the girl on the video by her mullet haircut) and by Lisa Van Allen, who claims that she was involved in numerous videotaped threesomes with Kelly and the victim.

Kelly’s former assistant Lindsay Perryman also identified the alleged victim as the girl in the video, and the man as her employer. She said she recognized the girl from back in the day when she would hang out at the studio after school doing her homework and babysitting the singer’s children.

And then there’s the mole.

In a few scenes, a large mole can be seen on the lower back of the man in the video – police photos of Kelly’s naked torso reveal that he has a mole on his back in the same location. While this would seem to be pretty cut and dry evidence that the man in the video is Kelly, the defense retaliated by having a forensic video expert come in and break the film down frame by frame, showing that sometimes the mole is there, and then other times it isn’t. The expert contested that the mole isn’t a mole at all, but rather an “artifact” from poor lighting and recording equipment.

Not convinced yet that the trial is a total madhouse? Have I mentioned that the alleged victim is Kelly’s guitarist’s daughter and the singer’s goddaughter? Or that a fan broke in to the courthouse to scream “Free R. Kelly!” at the jurors? Or that one of Kelly’s lawyers actually referenced the movie magic of the Wayans brother’s Little Man when talking about how the film footage could be doctored? If you haven’t been keeping track of this story, I suggest you start. It’s enough to make you think twice about your would-be amateur porn videos. And love for R. Kelly. And, of course, pissing on kids.

[A special thanks to celebritysmackblog.com for the awesome pic.]