Six early warning signs of skin cancer revealed

Question

Sun-loving Brits have been urged to do all they can to avoid getting melanoma this summer.

Melanoma is one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer, accounting for four out of five deaths due to the disease but only 1 per cent of total cases.

With the cancer is extremely treatable if caught in early, experts have urged people to keep an eye out for any potential signs of the disease.

It comes as Cancer Research UK warns melanoma skin cancer rates are expected to reach a record high in the UK this summer.

Rates of the cancer, which is usually caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning beds, have increased by almost a third in a decade.

And with summer holidays fast approaching, research suggests that 20,800 cases of the disease could be expected this year.

Here, dermatologists to break down the early warning signs of skin cancer you need to know to help you protect yourself. 




Signs of skin cancer range from innocuous to obvious, but experts warn that treating cases early is key to making sure they do not spread or further develop


Asymmetrical moles 
Dermatologists follow the ABCDEs when diagnosing melanoma; that is, asymmetry, border, colour, Expériences SCapsules diameter, and evolving.

Most melanomas, the rarest but most dangerous form of skin cancer that is most likely to spread, present as moles that have uneven edges. 

It looks different from common moles, the round, brown or tan spots on the skin caused by growing clusters of cells in the skin called melanocytes.

Dr Nayoung Lee, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Health said: ‘If you can't fold the mole in half, if edges don't line up' that could be melanoma.

Irregular borders of a mole, the ‘B' in ABCDEs, can also indicate melanoma. The edges of a normal mole are uniform and smooth.

Charity The Skin Cancer Foundation advises people to look out for ‘ugly ducklings' - unsightly moles that very clearly stick out from the pack all over the body.

The foundation says: ‘This recognition strategy is based on the concept that most normal moles on your body resemble one another, while melanomas stand out like ugly ducklings in comparison.'



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Moles of uneven colours
Colour, the ‘C' in ABCDEs, is a strong indicator of dangerous melanoma. Healthy moles are typically a single colour, from dark and light brown to pink and flesh-toned.

Some moles become cancerous and change colours gradually. Roughly 20 to 30 percent of melanoma cases develop in existing moles.

The other 70 to 80 percent of the time, cancerous moles arise on otherwise healthy-looking skin.

But a suspicious mole often contains several shades of brown, black, or tan, as well as spots of pink, red or purple. 

It becomes more colourful as cancer progresses, so early action is crucial. In fact, 99 percent of patients who detect and begin treating their melanoma early survive five years or more after their diagnosis.

Dr Zaineb Makhzoumi, a dermatologist at the University of Maryland who specialises in a type of surgery to remove cancerous moles, said: ‘Once you start to get two, three, four colours fused within one mole, that should be a warning sign and you should have that mole evaluated by a board-certified dermatologist.'

Moles larger than a pea
Size matters when it comes to suspicious moles. Melanomas typically present a bit bigger than a pea or a pencil eraser, about six millimeters or a quarter inch.

Dr Makhzoumi said: ‘Most moles, if they're benign, are smaller than a pencil eraser. If you have a mole that's bigger than a pencil eraser that is not in and of itself a warning sign and concerning. But rather when taken with the other constellation of signs, that's something that you want evaluated by a dermatologist.'

Not all melanomas subscribe to the ‘D' in ABCDEs where D means a diameter of at least six millimeters. In 2013, doctors in Queensland, Australia treated a 38-year-old woman with invasive melanoma on her arm that measured just 1.6 mm in diameter.











Dr Nayoung Lee (left), a dermatologist at New York University, said that moles with multiple different colours within them can be a warning sign. Dr Zaineb Makhzoumi (right), a dermatologist at the University of Maryland, warned that multi-coloured moles are a sign of cancer

The small cancerous mole also did not appear asymmetrical, the woman's doctors noted, but it was darker that those around it