IDENTIFY MELANOMA
| Which Spot Is Skin Cancer? |
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Neither spot is melanoma. But could become so. The left spot is a normal mole. It's smaller, evenly colored and symmetrical.
The right one is an actinic keratosis (AK), a common precancer growth. It's especially common for redheads and blondes. About 10% of AKs become squamous cell carcinoma. The more AKs on your skin, the more likely that one will become malignant melanoma. |
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| Which Spot Is Skin Cancer? |
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How many colors does your spot have?
More than one color is a sign of melanoma. Melanoma a range of colors which is not good. If you have a spot like this, see your melanoma specialist immediately.
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| Which Spot Is Skin Cancer? |
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Check the borders of every spot or mole.
The spot on the right has irregular borders signifying melanoma. Always know your spots.
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| Which Spot Is Skin Cancer? |
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What size is your mole, spot or freckle? If a mole, spot or freckle is larger than about ¼-inch across - it could be a melanoma, like the spot on the right. Watch your spots closely.
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| Which Spot Is Skin Cancer? |
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Lack of symmetry is another red flag for melanoma. The black lesion is melanoma.
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| Which Spot Is Skin Cancer? |
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Watch your moles closely. Changes of any kind in the ABCDEs mean you should have a dermatologist check your skin. Compared with the ordinary spot on the left, the one on the right is melanoma — it's different in size, shape and color. .
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| This Is Skin Cancer |
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Do you have a scaly spot that never goes away? A red area that bleeds if you scratch it? Perhaps it's psoriasis, actinic keratosis (AK) or a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)?
The spot above was probably AK initially, but now it's a full-blown squamous cell carcinoma – the second most common type of skin cancer. SCCs can look like a scaly spot, resemble a crusty wart or even an open sore. Tanning bed enthusiasts can get these quite easily. |
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| This Is Skin Cancer |
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This pink spot could be an infected mosquito bite, a zit you squished or skin cancer.
It's actually basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common skin cancer. BCCs have many disguises. They can be a pink growth like the above, or a flat, white scarlike spot. Or even a reddish patch resembling eczema (dry skin.) When you notice a suspicious spot on your skin, see a dermatologist - an MD who specializes in skin diseases.
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