Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread throughout the body. It is most common on the back in men and on the shoulders and knees in women. A characteristic symptom of melanoma are moles, both new and those undergoing significant changes. It is worth checking moles on the skin - those that change shape, size or color may raise suspicions. More about melanoma will be told by the dermatologist and venereologist Dr. Bartosz Pawlikowski from the Pawlikowski Clinic in Łódź.
Anna Tłustochowicz: What does melanoma look like and is it only on the skin?
Dr. Bartosz Pawlikowski:Czerniak can be of various forms: dark colored birthmark and varying in shape / size, horizontal to the skin or slightly convex like a normal mole, or bleeding .However, there are forms of this cancer that do not contain a pigment and then the change is not as characteristic as it is commonly believed , because you can only see a change in the skin structure with more small blood vessels, but without the pigment. Fortunately, the latter form is extremely rare.
Melanoma primarilyoccurs on the skin, but it can also occur on the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, under the nails and in the eyeball.Melanoma is a dangerous form of mucous membranes and in unusual places, i.e. on the soles of the feet, in the hair and in the genital area.
Where is melanoma most often found?
Most often on the skin exposed to the sun: face, shoulders, back, cleavage.
What are the types of melanoma?
Pigmented and colorless.Due to the degree of advancement, we can distinguish papillary or flat skin.
How to distinguish a melanoma from a mole?
Melanoma, compared to a mole, must meet the ABCDE criteria, i.e. be asymmetrical, with irregular, jagged edges, uneven color, usually large in size over half a centimeter and dynamic growth -patients usually notice that in at a rate of one to three months, the "mole" changes dynamically.Moles are usually in a stable condition, i.e. they do not change their color, shape and size.
How fastdo you develop melanoma?
The dynamics of development depends on whatfactors affect the skin or the birthmark: sunburn, inflammation after burns, skin injuries, virus infections - they accelerate the development of melanoma.You can also talk about features that increase the predisposition to the disease, such as: low sun tolerance (tans heavily, easily burns), the presence of numerous pigmented moles (may evolve into melanoma under the influence of the sun), red or blonde hair and low skin phototype (light complexion).
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