Don’t Ignore These Signs of Melanoma

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and around the world. In the U.S., over 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day, and more than two Americans die from it every hour.

Melanoma is often considered the most dangerous type of skin cancer, but it has a high survival rate if caught early enough. That means knowing what to look for is essential.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and Dr. Javier Zelaya and the team here at Skinworks Dermatology in New York City want to help raise awareness by looking at the signs of skin cancer.

About melanoma

With a name that means black tumor, this disease is the most invasive form of cancer and the type that carries the highest risk of death despite only accounting for about 1% of skin cancer cases.

Up to 30% of melanomas come from existing moles, and they’re most often brown and black but can appear pink, purple, red, or even skin-colored.

You can have them anywhere on your body, including your eyes and internal organs, but they most often appear on the upper back in men and the legs of women.

Causes and stages

Melanoma starts in the skin cells (melanocytes) that make the pigments that give skin its color by producing melanin.

Like most forms of skin cancer, overexposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays is the primary factor that leads to rapid abnormal cell growth in the skin. However, the exact reason that happens isn’t clearly understood.

Skin cancer attacks the body in four stages:

1. Low risk

Shortly after the development of abnormal melanocytes, the tumor is 1-2 millimeters thick with or without ulceration (an open sore).

2. Not spreading

The tumor is growing, 4 mm or larger, but the cells haven’t spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.

3. Spreading

Evidence of cancer in the tumor is present, and it’s spread to lymph nodes or nearby skin.

4. Metastasizes

The cancer has spread to other tissues and organs, including the liver, lungs, brain, spine, and digestive tract.

Signs to look for

Visually, there are four types of melanoma:

Superficial spreading, irregular dark spots with uneven borders
Nodular, vertically growing spots that can be dark or light
Acral lentiginous, growths and patches on palms and soles that change color and size
Lentigo maligna, irregularly shaped spots that grow slowly

Other signs you have melanoma include itching, tenderness, and pain in affected areas, nonhealing sores, bleeding or oozing moles, changes in moles like newly developed lumps, spreading of moles to other areas of skin, or redness or swelling around moles.

When checking for melanoma, always remember the ABCDE rule, which indicates what you should look for in a mole:

Asymmetry
Borders are irregular or ragged
Color is uneven; various shades present
Diameter is getting larger
Evolving in previous weeks or months

The best way to survive melanoma is to catch it early. If you notice changes in your skin that concern you, contact Dr. Zelaya and the team at Skinworks Dermatology. Call the office in Maspeth, Chelsea, or Park Slope, or request your appointment online today.