Is it cancer? Is it cancer? (June 09, 2004)

Early detection of melanoma is key to saving skin from the harmful cancer. Dermatologists recommend that you do a quick skin check once a month for irregular bumps. Here's what you should look for and how you can tell a mole from melanoma:

*Melanomas can be asymmetric, whereas ordinary moles are usually round and fairly symmetric.

*Melanomas can have irregular or jagged borders, whereas benign lesions tend to have smooth borders.

*Melanomas are usually black or a variety of different colors, including brown, black, or red; harmless moles are usually all one color.

*Melanomas are usually larger than six millimeters, or the size of a pencil eraser; harmless moles are usually smaller.

*Melanomas can start out small and grow.

*Another clue that a spot may be dangerous is if it looks different from all your other moles. Melanoma can be completely flat and not give you any symptoms, therefore, you have to look for it.

Source: Palo Alto Medical Foundation

E-mail a friend a link to this story.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]