Can Two Moles in Different Areas Be Melanoma at Once?
What are the odds of two moles at the same time turning into melanoma? […]
Can Tattoos Over an Undiagnosed Melanoma Make It Spread?
Do you have tattoos and are worried that if you ever get melanoma under the ink, the ink will make it spread or quicken the spreading? […]
How Bad a Melanoma Can Be if It Was Ignored for 5 Years?
You know that odd mole is probably melanoma, but you decide to just “wait and see what happens.” If you do this for five years, how bad can the melanoma get? Well, that’s a fair [...]
Do Toe Melanomas Spread Faster than Other Locations?
A melanoma on a toe, either on the skin or under the nail, can be particularly unnerving vs. a melanoma elsewhere. […]
Red Hair, Fair Skin: How to Protect from Melanoma Skin Cancer
If you have red hair, fair skin and especially many moles, you’re at higher risk for melanoma, which has a very poor prognosis if not caught early. […]
Should You Check for Melanoma if You Have Only a Few Moles?
Do you have only a few moles and are wondering if it’s worth it to check every month for signs of melanoma? […]
Should Young Adults Be Concerned About Melanoma Screening?
You may not know as much as you think you do when it comes to melanoma screening and just what to look for during your self-skin exams. Here are guidelines. […]
Why Is Melanoma Follow-up Screening Only Annually?
After treatment for melanoma, the patient’s follow-up screenings eventually default to yearly, when initially they are every three to six months for up to two years after diagnosis. […]
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 [...]
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. […]
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, [...]
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? […]
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 [...]
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. […]
Hutchinson’s Sign vs. Pseudo-Hutchinson’s Sign
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? […]
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. […]
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. […]
Can Melanoma Be Found After Mole Removal with Laser?
Just what exactly is the connection between melanoma being found where a mole was removed with a laser? […]
Should Very Dark Skinned Children Wear Sunscreen?
It’s definitely important to apply sunscreen on your very dark skinned child, says a dermatologist who specializes in patients of color. Sunscreen advertisements always show fair skinned people putting it on. Advertising is very powerful, [...]
Choroidal Nevus Getting Bigger: Is this Melanoma?
Has your eye doctor said your choroidal nevus is bigger? Though it’s uncommon for a choroidal nevus to become a melanoma, all eye melanomas were once a choroidal nevus. What is a choroidal nevus? A [...]
Melanoma Risk from Childhood Sunburns vs. Basal Cell Carcinoma
So which is a greater risk for melanoma: childhood sunburns or adult basal cell carcinoma? You’re probably aware that that blistering sunburns in childhood are thought to double a person’s individual risk for melanoma. [...]
Can People Ever Smell Skin Cancer?
Have you been sniffing at that strange mole or patch on your skin to see if you could smell something odd that might mean cancer? Melanoma produces a distinctive odor that some dogs can detect. [...]
Why There’s a 1 Percent Mortality Rate for Melanoma Stage 0
The 10 year survival rate for stage 0 melanoma (in situ) is 99 percent. So what happens with that one percent? Do they die from their melanoma in situ? • How does anyone die from [...]
You Know You Should Get that Suspicious Mole Checked When…
At what point should you stop waiting and waiting and finally get a suspicious looking mole checked by a dermatologist? It’s easy to just say, “You know you should get that suspicious mole checked when [...]
Can Bra Strap Irritation Turn a Mole into Melanoma?
If your bra strap keeps irritating a mole, can this make it turn into a deadly melanoma? Many women are worried that continuous irritation from a bra strap can cause a mole to develop into [...]
How to Get More Freckles without Increasing Skin Cancer Risk?
Some women love the look of freckles but don’t want the higher risk of skin cancer that comes with sun exposure. […]
Might a New Mole Between the Toes Be a Melanoma?
If you have a new mole or “spot” between your toes, do NOT blow it off as possible melanoma just because no sun gets between your toes. “Yes, melanomas can grow in areas that typically [...]
What Does Early Detection Mean for Melanoma?
Here’s a simple explanation of what exactly “early detection” of melanoma means. Melanoma is actually highly curable when caught early. The problem is that the opportunities for an early detection are often passed over! [...]
Can Melanoma Be Yellow?
Every time you see a picture of a melanoma, it’s either black, grey, some shade of brown, magenta, red, bluish, purple or pink, but never yellow. However, the color of yellow is absolutely possible in [...]
Can a Melanoma Be Smaller than Six Millimeters?
Though six millimeters is the measurement that often comes up in the “signs to look for” lists for melanoma, it can be the size of a pinpoint. The picture above shows a four millimeter tumor. [...]
How Does a Dermatologist Check for Melanoma?
Here’s how to make sure a dermatologist is doing everything possible to check your skin and moles for signs of melanoma. […]
How Fast Can Melanoma Change Visibly to Naked Eye?
Doctors tell us to check our moles every month, but is it possible to see melanoma changes over a faster time period? It seems that we should check our skin perhaps every two weeks, if [...]
Can a Melanoma Biopsy Spread Cancer Cells?
If you’re scared that an upcoming biopsy of what you think is a melanoma might spread the cancer cells, you’ve every reason to be worried. Yes, a melanoma biopsy has the potential to “spread” the [...]
Can Melanoma Make a Mole Itch Before the Appearance Changes?
Bad news: Melanoma can make a mole itch even though the mole still looks normal and unchanged. The itching can come before the mole starts looking different. […]
Melanoma Diagnosed within Minutes without a Biopsy
No, this is not a suspicion of melanoma based on looking at the skin with a dermatoscope, but actual DIAGNOSIS via a special laser microscope. This groundbreaking technology is called multiphoton microscopy. [...]
Should You Check for Melanoma if You Have Only a Few Moles ?
If you have only a few moles, this doesn’t mean you can blow these off & think you’ll never get melanoma. Even if you have ONE small mole, it can still turn into melanoma. [...]
Melanoma Obsession? How to Manage Melanomaphobia
Are you constantly worrying you have melanoma or will soon get it? Does your mind race with all sorts of scenarios of this cancer invading other parts of your body? […]
Percentage of New Moles in Older People that Become Melanoma?
A new mole in an older adult has a higher chance of becoming melanoma. But do you know what percentage of new moles in people over 50 or even 40 eventually turn into melanoma? [...]
Over 50 and Have a New Mole? Melanoma Alert or just Hype ??
New moles over age 50: Have you figured out yet what to believe after googling all over creation about melanoma’s connection to new moles in older people? […]
How Many Melanomas Can You Get at the Same Time?
Unfortunately you can get a lot of melanomas at the same time, says Dr. Jennifer Gordon, who is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology. “Sadly there is no limit,” affirms Dr. Gordon. “Once [...]