Skin checks at home are an important additional tool to decrease your risk from skin cancer.
Studies have shown that regular skin checks at home makes it twice as likely that a melanoma will be diagnosed when it is thin and small, potentially meaning total cure through just removal of the cancer from the skin.
One fact that is often missed is that most skin cancers in men are on the back, a place that is quite hard to look at yourself! It is very important therefore to have others help you with regular self examination. I often encourage photos at home as part of this self check.