What are the early signs of melanoma?
The most common symptoms of melanoma are:
- The most common symptoms of melanoma are:
- a new spot on the skin, or a spot that is changing in size, shape or colour
- moles that have features of the ‘ABCDE rule’:
- Asymmetry: the 2 sides of the mole do not match
- Border irregularity: the mole has irregular edges
- Colour: the mole is not the same colour throughout
- Diameter: the mole is wider than about 6 mm (although some melanomas are smaller than this)
- Evolving: the mole has changed in size, shape, colour or texture during the past few weeks or months
- a sore that does not heal
- itching, scaling, bleeding, oozing, swelling or pain, in or around a mole
- spread of pigment from a spot into the surrounding skin.
What causes melanoma?
Exposure to UV radiation, whether from the sun or artificial sources escalates the risk of melanoma, especially when accompanied by instances of sunburn, notably during childhood.
Factors contributing to increased melanoma risk include:
- Unprotected exposure to UV radiation
- History of childhood tanning and sunburn
- Intermittent, intense UV radiation exposure patterns
- High mole count (over 50 on the body and over 10 above the elbows on the arms
- Presence of unusual moles
- Compromised immune systems
- Morphological changes in moles, such as irregular shape, elevation or itching/bleeding
Additional symptoms may involve dark areas beneath the nails or mucous membranes like the mouth, vagina, or anus.
While it’s normal for new moles and spots to emerge and evolve during childhood, adolescence and pregnancy, adults developing new spots or moles should promptly seek examination by a doctor.
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