According to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the best way to catch skin cancer before it spreads and becomes difficult to cure, is by careful and regular self examination and routine exams by your health-care provider.
Looking for signs of skin cancer is a challenge because most of us have some brownish spots on our skin - birthmarks, moles, freckles - which are usually normal. Here are some signs and symptoms that, if found, indicate that you should be seen by your health-care provider.
Melanoma are malignant tumors originating in melanocytes. These are the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that colors our skin, hair and eyes. Some melanomas develop from old moles and some from new. Moles have a lot of melanin in them, so most are black or brown. Sometimes a melanoma stays dark, but if it stops producing melanin, it may change color and be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, or a combination of any of these colors.
There are four basic types of melanoma.
Superficial spreading melanoma
This is the most common type of melanoma and accounts for about 70 percent of all melanomas. It travels along the top layer of the skin for a long time before going deeper into the skin. It can be found almost anywhere on the body, but is most likely to be on the trunks of men, legs of women, and upper backs of both. Superficial spreading melanoma mostly affects adults but young people develop it as well.
- Appearance
The first sign is a flat or slightly raised, somewhat geometrical, discolored patch with irregular borders. The color varies, with possible areas of tan, brown, black, red, blue, or white. Sometimes an older mole will turn into this kind of melanoma.
Acral lentiginous melanoma
This melanoma also spreads superficially before growing deeper into the skin. It is usually found under the nails, on the soles of the feet, or the palms of the hands. Acral lentiginous melanoma is the most common melanoma in African-Americans and Asians, and the least common among whites.
- Appearance
It appears as a black or brown discoloration.
Lentigo maligna
This melanoma is similar to the superficial spreading type. It stays close to the skin's surface for a long time, but becomes invasive more quickly than the other two. This melanoma is most often found in elderly people, showing up on the face, ears, arms and upper trunks in skin chronically exposed to and damaged by sun exposure. Lentigo maligna is the most common form of melanoma in Hawaii.
- Appearance
Usually appears as a flat or mildly elevated mottled tan, brown or dark brown discoloration.
Nodular melanoma
This fourth kind of melanoma is usually already invasive when first diagnosed. This very invasive cancer is commonly located on an older person's trunk, legs, and arms and on the scalp of men at any age.
- Appearance
This malignancy is recognized when it becomes a bump, most often black, but occasionally blue, gray, white, brown, tan, red or skin tone.
Follow the link below for more information about Basal cell carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma, and other skin cancers.
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