What Is the Reliability of Biopsy for Nail Melanoma?
If your nail matrix was sent for biopsy due to a suspicion for subungual melanoma and it came back negative, you can be rest assured that you do not have this disease. Read more...
Can Melanoma Under a Nail Be Diagnosed with the Naked Eye ?
How possible is it for a dermatologist to spot nail melanoma by just looking at it? This begs the question: Can a doctor exclude melanoma by just looking at the nail? Read more...
Can a Punch Biopsy of Melanoma Cause Metastasis?
Are you wondering if a punch biopsy of a melanoma can cause it to spread – metastasize – to other areas of the body such as the liver, lungs and brain? Read more...
Why Does Melanoma Sometimes Turn a Mole Purple?
Ever see images of melanoma and wonder why some of the lesions have purple areas? Perhaps you’ve seen photos in which the entire melanoma was purple. Read more…
My Daughter Wants Her Face Moles Removed: What Should I Do?
Has your young daughter come to you asking to have all the dark little moles on her face removed so she could have the “perfect” skin of models? Read more…
Can a Skin Cyst Ever Turn into a Melanoma?
Nodular Melanoma If you’re wondering if a skin cyst can ever turn into a melanoma, this is a very fair question. Read more…
Are Moles that Stick Up More Likely to Become Melanoma?
Intradermal nevus. Credit: Dr P. Marazzi/Science Source Do you have a mole that sticks up more than the others, or maybe it’s the ONLY one that’s raised, and melanoma has barged into your Read more...
Why Is the Prognosis for Nail Melanoma Much Worse than Skin?
Yes, melanoma can grow in the nail unit, and it’s a well-known fact among dermatologists that this type of melanoma has a poor prognosis. “Nail melanoma, which is in the category of acral lentiginous melanoma Read more...
How Ugly Can a Tiny Melanoma Look?
Tiny melanoma, 1.6 mm. Source: Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr. Copyright ©2013 Pellizzari et al. Articles and pamphlets refer to melanoma as the “ugly duckling” or “ugly mole.” But how “ugly” or “different” Read more...
What Can a Black Dot on the Top of the Toe Be?
A black dot on the top of your toe could be melanoma, but does this mean it’s likely melanoma? Read more…
Can a Baby Be Born with Nail Melanoma?
A baby can be born with a brown pigment “in” a nail. What are the odds that this can be melanoma? Certainly, if your newborn has a pigmented area under a fingernail, this needs to Read more...
6 Year Old’s Nail Mole Likely Melanoma or just a Birth Mark?
A mother of a six year old wanted to know if an elongated mole in her child’s nail could possibly be melanoma. How likely would this just be a harmless mark of pigmentation from birth? Read more...
Severely Atypical Mole with Regression: Time to Worry
If you have a severely atypical, irregular or dysplastic mole that’s showing signs of regression (new areas of milky-white color), this is very worrisome for melanoma. A white “spot” in a mole isn’t always cancerous, Read more...
Can Melanoma Cause Weird Feelings in a Mole?
That one particular mole, or maybe several of them, are generating weird feelings. Could this mean melanoma? This isn’t about itching. It’s about weird sensations that seem to be coming from a mole that’s gotten Read more...
What Does the Local Recurrence of Melanoma Look Like?
A small number of patients will get a local recurrence of melanoma very near to the excision site. Do you know what a local recurrence looks like? Read more…
Can a Melanoma Survivor Live 30 Years?
If you’ve been diagnosed with stage IV or even stage III melanoma, you’ll likely be wondering if you’ll be alive 30 years from now if you’re middle age or younger. “In general, survival rate statistics Read more...
Can Self Removal of a Skin Tag Cause Cancer?
There’s a cancer related reason why you should never self-remove a skin tag. A skin tag is formed in areas where there’s friction such as that from clothing or folds in the skin. Read more...
Can Melanoma Grow Back in the Area It Was Removed?
You’re not neurotic if you’re afraid a melanoma will grow back where one was removed and you keep checking the area – because it CAN. Read more…
What Does a Grey and Yellow Mole Mean ? Should You Worry ?
MOLE Has your mole always been grey and yellow? Or has it always been kind of grey, and now it has a dull yellow area? What’s alarming about this is if you know Read more...
Longitudinal Melanonychia vs. Subungual Melanoma
Subungual melanoma is a type of longitudinal melanonychia, but what are the tipoffs that longitudinal melanonychia is malignant vs. benign? A brown or black band, stripe, streak or line in a nail is a very Read more...
What Is a Micro-Hutchinson’s Sign?
Blue arrows point to Hutchinson’s sign from melanoma shown under magnification. Copyright ©2018 Bhat et al If you know what a Hutchinson’s sign is, perhaps you’re wondering just what is a micro-Hutchinson’s sign Read more...
Can a Normal Mole Look Like a Melanoma?
It’s pretty scary to know that a perfectly normal mole can look like a melanoma, and even more unnerving is that a melanoma may pass as a benign mole. Read more…
Nodular Melanoma: What You Should Know About this Killer
Dermatology Practical & Conceptual (April 30, 2014, Rosendahl, et al) Nodular melanoma is a particularly lethal form of cancer that disregards the ABCDE guidelines that are so publicized about melanoma. Delayed diagnosis is Read more...
Is a Mole Normal if It’s Brown and Grey or Can It Be Melanoma?
A normal mole is supposed to be one color, or at least, two shades of a color. But brown and grey are two completely different colors. Is this melanoma? Read more…
Hutchinson’s Sign vs. Pseudo-Hutchinson’s Sign
Hutchinson’s sign … or pseudo-Hutchinson’s? Credit: Nameer Al-Sudany, MD Are there features about melanoma’s Hutchinson’s sign that are different than those found in pseudo-Hutchinson’s sign – which has causes other than melanoma? Read more...
Toenail (Subungual Hematoma) vs. Melanoma: Visible Differences
The appearance of blood under a toenail can closely resemble a melanoma – and vice versa. Here is a comparison of the differences and similarities. Read more…
Just What Does an “Ugly Duckling” Mole Look Like?
The term “ugly duckling mole” has a specific meaning when it comes to melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer. Read more…
How Fast Actinic Keratosis Turns into Squamous Cell Carcinoma?
Actinic keratosis Though most squamous cell carcinomas were once actinic keratoses, most AK’s will not turn into cancer. However, it’s impossible to predict which lesions will eventually begin undergoing a malignant transformation. Read more...
Should Blacks Do Monthly Self-Exams for Skin Cancer?
Don’t let the media’s portrayal of skin cancer patients fool you. Blacks and other dark skinned people need to do monthly self-exams because they too can get any of the three major skin cancers: Read more...
Warning Signs a Nail Melanoma Was Misdiagnosed As Benign
Any race can get nail plate cancer. Yes, it’s possible and it happens: A nail melanoma being misdiagnosed as a harmless elongated “birth mark” or benign melanonychia. Read more…
Do ALL Nail Melanomas Have a Hutchinson’s Sign?
The Hutchinson’s sign is a very tell-tale sign of fingernail or toenail melanoma. Further complicating this issue is that benign pigment in a nail can mimic a true Hutchinson’s sign. Read Read more...
What is Central Regression in a Melanoma?
A doctor may describe a melanoma as having “central regression” or as being “centrally regressed.” Though this term seemingly is self-explanatory, it does warrant further explanation to the layperson. Read more…
Can Melanoma Be Misdiagnosed As a Skin Tag?
If you think you have a skin tag, it’s possible it’s a melanoma, and it’s also possible for a doctor to misdiagnose a melanoma as a benign skin tag. Read more…
New Moles Near a Melanoma Excision Site: Should You Worry?
You just had a melanoma removed and are now seeing new moles or little spots very close to the excision site. Read more…
Pink Line or Stripe on Fingernail or Toenail Can Be Melanoma
You probably already know that nail melanoma is often a dark line or stripe under the nail, but it can also be pink or a pinkish flesh color. Read more…
What Causes a Pimple to Be Purple? Could Cancer?
If pimples are supposed to be some shade of pink or flesh colored, then what causes a pimple to be purple? Read more…
Is Nail Melanoma Always a Stripe or Can It Be a Smudge?
Did you know that nail melanoma doesn’t always present as a line, streak, stripe or band? Nail melanoma can also appear as a smudge, smear or blotch. Read more…
Two Big Warning Signs You May Have Nail Melanoma
Yes, melanoma can affect a fingernail or toenail, and there are two major warning signs that what you see is a potentially deadly tumor — also known as subungual melanoma. Read Read more...
Can an Irritated Skin Tag Turn into Cancer?
Skin tags are common and depending on their location are prone to irritation including bleeding. Can an irritated skin tag, however, actually transform into cancer such as melanoma? Read more…
Part of the Body Melanoma Most Often Grows in Dark Skin
There are certain parts of the body that melanoma is more likely to grow in blacks and other dark skinned individuals. People with dark skin are not immune to melanoma, especially since this skin cancer Read more...