Signs of melanoma are often subtle and easy to miss. But early signs should always be taken seriously. Overlooking or ignoring the signs gives the cancer time to spread. Once that happens, melanoma can turn deadly.
You can protect your health by checking your skin and scheduling full-body skin exams at Allure Dermatology. Our caring team has extensive experience identifying the signs of skin cancer, removing the lesion, and recommending the next step should it be melanoma.
Here’s what you need to know about the five earliest signs of melanoma.
Did you know that 70%-80% of melanomas begin as new moles or skin growths? Moles usually develop early in life, appearing before young adulthood. New moles appearing after age 21 should be evaluated to ensure they’re not cancerous.
Any new skin lesion appearing at any age is suspicious of melanoma, whether it looks like a freckle, brown spot, bump, or mole. New lesions most often appear in the skin areas exposed to sunlight but can appear anywhere. (See signs 3-5 below.)
An existing mole should keep the same appearance for about 50 years. As you age, your moles may slightly change, turning a lighter color or becoming raised.
However, 20%-30% of melanomas begin in an existing mole; the first sign is a change in appearance. Any change in a mole’s size, shape, or color is a red flag for melanoma.
Itching, pain, or bleeding in a mole are also warning signs that cancer is developing. The skin surrounding a cancerous lesion sometimes loses color, forming a white ring around the mole.
You can tell if a mole has changed by considering these ABCDEs:
Healthy moles are one color, either tan, brown, or black. If the cells in the mole are transforming into cancer, the mole may have multiple colors and varying shades of tan, brown, black, red, blue, or white.
Acral melanoma, the most common type of skin cancer in people with dark skin, appears on their palms, the bottom of their feet, and under or around a nail.
You’ll see a dark skin patch on the hand or foot, usually with uneven borders. If the cancer begins around a nail, you’ll notice a dark line beneath or beside a toenail or fingernail.
We can’t stress how crucial it is to watch for signs of acral melanoma. This cancer is less common than melanomas arising from moles and skin lesions. But it’s deadlier because it often goes undetected until the cancer reaches an advanced stage.
Though moles and brown spots are the most common signs, melanoma appears in different ways, including a:
Any skin lesion that bleeds, whether a mole, bump, or brown patch, is worrisome and should be evaluated.
Scalp melanoma is less common than other body locations but can occur and is hard to see. You can also develop melanoma in areas seldom exposed to sunlight, including your underarms and groin area. Check all body areas for the melanoma signs listed above.
Schedule an exam as soon as you notice any sign of melanoma. People at high risk for melanoma should consider routine skin exams. After evaluating your risk factors, we can recommend how frequently you may need a full-body exam.
Call Allure Dermatology today or connect through online booking to schedule a skin cancer consultation.
