Everything you need to know about Melanoma: Symptoms and Early Signs
Wearing sunscreen, sunglasses, staying under the umbrella and getting your skin examined by a dermatologist at least twice a year are commonly recommended preventive steps for skin cancer. But is there something more that you can do to prevent skin cancer? The answer is yes. Having a healthy and balanced diet is another major step that can help in preventing skin cancer.
Majority of patients in Australia get diagnosed with skin cancer. However, many fail to get it detected early. Melanoma is another skin cancer that is being very common in the city of Geelong. Melanoma is a cancer in the skin's pigment cells, which develops in melanocytes. It has the tendency to spread to other parts of the body and cause serious disease and death. It can be more severe than other forms of skin cancer.
Due to the fact that the majority of melanoma occurs on the skin, patients or families are always the first to identify suspected tumours. It is important to detect and diagnose early. When captured early, relatively little surgery can cure most melanomas. Undergo a melanoma detection in Geelong by our dermatologists who would assist you at every step. Let us understand the signs and symptoms of melanoma.
Signs and Symptoms of Melanoma Skin Cancer
Unusual lumps, sores, tumours, defects or changes in the look and feel of your skin may be a sign or warning of melanoma or other types of skin cancer.
Possible signs and symptoms of melanoma
A new spot on the skin or an area that changes in size, form or colour is perhaps the most significant tell-tale sign of melanoma.
A different spot from all other spots on your skin is also an important sign (known as the ugly duckling sign).
Get your skin examined by a doctor if you notice any warning signs.
Another guideline for regular indications of melanoma is the ABCDE principle. Watch your doctor and tell him about places with some of the following characteristics:
- A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or a birth-mark that is inconsistent with the other.
- B stands for Border: Irregular, sloppy, squatted or boring edges.
- C is for Colour: colour is not the same all over, with shades of brown, black or pink, red, white and blue at times.
- D for Diameter: The spot is over 6 millimetres in width (approximately one and a half centimetres – a pencil eraser), although sometimes melanomas may be less.
- E is for Evolving: The size of the mole, form or colour, changes.
These rules don't fit certain melanomas. It is important to inform your doctor about changes, new spots on your skin or different growths.
Other warning signs are:
- A sore which is not healing
- Dissemination of pigment in the skin from the edge of the spot
- Redness or a new swelling over the mole's edge
- Sensational change, such as itchiness, delicacy, or pain
- Change in mole surface – scaling, oozing, bleeding or lumping or bump appearance
Make sure that your doctor examines all the areas that is bothering you and that your doctor sees areas that are difficult to see for you. More often than not, even for doctors, it is hard to see the difference between melanoma and an ordinary mole, so it is essential that you see your doctor for melanoma detection in Geelong and show him/her any moles you are unsure about.