May Is Melanoma Detection & Prevention Month
Melanoma Detection & Prevention Awareness is May, but prevention and detection should be all year long: monthly skin checks including areas that get no sun. […]
How Common Is Melanoma in Very Dark Skinned Adults?
It’s a fair question: Can very dark skinned people get melanoma? After all, a very dark adult may feel immune to this deadly disease and spend a lot of time in the sun over many [...]
Types of Doctors Who Are Skilled at Spotting Melanoma
Though a dermatologist is the best type of doctor for spotting a melanoma, there are several other kinds of doctors who are particularly skilled at noticing suspicious spots. […]
Stabbing Pain Around Melanoma WLE Site: Causes, Solutions?
Does the stabbing pain around your melanoma WLE site relate to the cancer itself? Or is something else going on? […]
Time It Takes for Stage 2 Melanoma to Go to Stage 4?
Stage 4 melanoma has a very grim prognosis, so if you have a stage 2 melanoma, you may be wondering how long it takes for it to progress to a stage 4 status. How well [...]
Why Does Basal Cell Carcinoma Affect the Nose so Much?
Why is it that whenever you hear that someone has basal cell carcinoma, it seems that it’s always on their nose? […]
Child’s Melanoma vs. Adult’s: Appearance Comparison
The ABCDE rules of melanoma screening for adults don’t apply to children. There are distinct differences in the way melanoma appears in kids than it does in adults. […]
Can a Basal Cell Carcinoma Be Purple?
Basal cell carcinoma is typically described as a nodule or bump that may be pearly in color, but also flesh toned or some range of pink. Purple is a color that may come to mind [...]
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? […]
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 [...]
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” [...]
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? […]
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 [...]
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? [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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. […]
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 [...]
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. […]
Nodular Melanoma: What You Should Know About this Killer
Nodular melanoma is a particularly lethal form of cancer that disregards the ABCDE guidelines that are so publicized about melanoma. Delayed diagnosis is more common with nodular melanoma than with the more common superficial spreading [...]
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? […]
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. […]
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. [...]
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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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? […]
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? […]
What Does Atypical Mole with Regression Mean?
An atypical mole is also known as a precancerous mole. These such lesions can undergo a regression. “Regression is a term applied to lesions that our immune system attacks or treats,” says Erum Ilyas, MD, [...]
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. […]
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? […]
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 [...]
How Rare Is Melanoma in Dark Skinned Children?
Though melanoma is very rare in children, and rare in dark skinned adults, just how rare is it in a person who’s both dark and under age 20? […]
Can a Teenager Get Melanoma in the Mouth?
The answer is “Yes” to the question, Can a teen get melanoma of the mouth. The most highly publicized presentation of melanoma is that of a “mole” on the skin. […]
Malignant Melanoma vs. Benign: The Difference
Have you seen the term “benign melanoma” or “non-malignant melanoma” and thus wonder what the difference is between malignant and benign melanoma? • “Mela” refers to pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) • “Oma” refers to mass or [...]
If Doctor Thinks Teen’s Mole Must Be Watched, Why Not Biopsy It?
If a teen’s mole is suspicious enough for a doctor to say, “It should be watched,” then why not just biopsy it in case it’s melanoma? Teens DO get melanoma. “Melanoma among adolescents and young [...]
Big Red Pimple on Teen’s Nose that Won’t Go Away
What appears to be a big red pimple on a teen’s nose may actually be melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. […]
Edge of Longstanding Mole Is Coming Away from Skin: Melanoma?
The mole has been there since you could remember, when suddenly an edge of it has started to come away from the skin. […]
Bump Under Eyelid: Skin Cancer or Chalazion Cyst?
What are the hallmark features that would point towards skin cancer vs. a chalazion cyst if you have a bump under the eyelid? Many people quickly think of cancer when they discover a “bump” somewhere [...]