WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Learning skin self-examination with a partner boosts the likelihood people will regularly conduct these exams to help spot skin cancers, a U.S. study finds.

The study, published in the January issue of the Archives of Dermatology, included 130 people who'd previously had melanoma. The volunteers were divided into two groups -- 65 of them received skin examination instruction with their live-in partner and 65 received instruction alone.

"At the four-month follow-up visits, paired learning individuals (treatment) showed significantly stronger intentions to perform skin self-examination on the face and skin in general than the solo learning individuals (controls)," wrote a team from Northwestern University, in Chicago.

"Significantly more solo learners than dyadic (paired) learners did not check their skin at the long-term follow up visit (45 vs. 23), whereas significantly more dyadic learners checked their skin one time (19 vs. 9) and several times (13 vs. 4)."

When partners learn about skin self-examination together, it reinforces their belief that this method of skin cancer detection and prevention is important and effective, and that they're able to do it, the study authors surmised.

"Attitude and belief in the ability to perform skin self-examination are fostered when the partners learn about melanoma recognition and skills training together," they said. "Partners may provide social reinforcement for skin self-examination and in checking locations that are difficult for the patient to see, for example the scalp, back, ears and back of legs."

The study authors noted that people who do skin self-examinations "present for care at an earlier stage in the disease and have 50 percent less advanced melanoma and markedly lower mortality from melanoma."

More information

The U. S. National Cancer Institute has more about skin cancer screening.