SHARES
“I started consistently tanning my fair skin since 18. At one point, it feels like I’m addicted to my tanning bed. I had two suspicious spots on my face that turned out to be melanoma skin cancer. At 24, at first, that means nothing to me. I had no idea that melanoma is so scary, no idea that it is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Fortunately, I found the spots and got medical attention early enough” Recounted Suri, who just graduated and started work on marketing.
What is melanoma skin cancer?
In our skin, there is a type of cells called “melanocytes” which produces a dark pigment called “melanin” to protect our body from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. That is why we get darker tanned skin when exposed to sunlight. When these cells become cancerous, the condition is called “melanoma”.
Melanoma skin cancer
Who gets this form of skin cancer?
Melanoma can run in the family. It usually affects white people living in areas with strong sunlight exposure over a lifetime. If you get sunburn and freckles easily, this is a clue that your skin is sensitive to sunlight. Also, people who use sunscreen can also be affected because most sunscreen block only UVB radiation but not the UVA radiation. Exposure to either of these two type of ultraviolet radiation can increase your risk.
How dangerous is melanoma?
Melanoma is not the most common form of skin cancer but it accounts for the most skin cancer deaths. It can spread aggressively to other parts of the body and internal body organs. It affects multiple organs and is almost impossible to treat. Having said that, the “saving grace” is, if it is detected and treated early, it is almost always curable.
How do I know if I have melanoma?
You can easily identify the signs by using the “ABCDE” approach.
A – Asymmetry
Your suspicious skin lesion does not look quite similar (in term of shape and colours) when comparing both left and right sides or both top and bottom sides.
B – Irregular Border
If you draw a line along the boundary formed between your healthy skin and your suspicious skin lesion, you’ll notice that it does not resemble a circle or oval shape.
C – Color variations
Look out for it usually has a mixture of skin colours such as black, red, white, blue, and brown.
D – Diameter
If the suspicious skin lesion grows larger than 6mm in diameter, this can potentially be an aggressively growing melanoma.
E – Elevated surface
If you look at the skin lesion from a view along you skin surface, a raised or elevated skin lesion could be a clue of this form of skin cancer.
Other signs that are suggestive of a melanoma are itchiness, bleeding skin lesion, and skin ulcers. Also, if it spreads to internal organs, one may experience signs and symptoms related to the affected organ.
If you have any of these warning signs, seek help from a dermatologist immediately. Your doctor will examine you for any suspicious skin lesions and take some skin sample for testing. Your doctor may also further investigate with imaging techniques such as x-ray to find out the extent of the disease spread.
Have you cared for your skin today?
Conclusion
Being aware of melanoma is important for detecting the skin cancer early before it spreads to other part of the body. This is crucial to curing this form of skin cancer successfully. The good news is you can see with your naked eye, the suspicious signs on your skin alerting you to the possibility of a cancerous nature! Spread this awareness to people around you, it helps stop deadly melanoma in its track before it is too late!
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References:
- Jonathan BH, Gregory GC. Melanoma [Medscape]. WebMD LLC. 2019. [Available from: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1295718; last updated on 2019 Mar 8; accessed on 2019 April 25]
- Skin cancer (melanoma) [Internet]. Crown. 2019. [Available from: https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma; last updated on 2017 Jan 5; accessed on 2019 April 25]
by Chang Xian
View all articles by Chang Xian.
