The D in the ABCD's of moles & skin cancer?!

The D in the ABCD's of moles & skin cancer?

Does the mole ALWAYS have to be larger than a pencil eraser for it to be skin cancer? Or can it be a little smaller than it?

No, the mole, does not have to be larger than a pencil eraser; it can definitely be smaller than it. It also does not have to be raised from the skin either; it can be as smooth as your skin, like a freckle - you can't feel them.

There are several clues to tell you whether to worry or not.

1) If it is perfectly round, odds are it is benign. If it's not round and uneven in shape, that's a concern.

2) Color - moles can range from light to dark - more important is the evenness of the color. If it's all one color, it's probably OK, if there are mixed colors, a bit of a concern.

3) Does the mole itch? That is a concern.

4) Does the mole bleed at times (not just from a strap rubbing on it). That is a concern.

5) If you notice a sudden change in any of the above categories. That's a big concern

There are 3 types of skin cancer:

Basal Cell Carcinoma
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Malignant Melanoma

The first 2 types are not life threatening, but can be very disfiguring. They do not spread into the body, but can require very deep surgery, most often in the area of the face. The longer they are left there, the deeper they get, making surgery more disfiguring. The smaller, the better. Once you have had one of these, you are likely to get more, especially if exposed to the sun.

The 3rd type, Malignant Melanoma, is highly deadly, and unfortunately most people don't even know they have it until it is too late. That's why, in this day and age, a yearly screening is suggested, at least by your internist. If he/she is suspicious of a mole the doc will send you to a dermatologist.

If you have had one sunburn in your life, you are at a much higher risk of developing melanoma. If you had blond hair your risk goes up, if you have blue eyes, up even higher. It used to be that African-Americans didn't get malignant melanoma - that is no longer true. Because of changes in our atmosphere, everyone is now getting it, although lighter skinned people are at the highest risk.

Having a mole removed is completely painless. There is no real surgery unless the lab tells the doctor you have a malignancy. Then you need surgery, so they can find out how deep and how wide the mole is. You would be asleep for this. However, the earlier you get it checked the better the odds of never reaching that point.

It is much better to hear the doctor tell you that the mole is totally benign; do not feel you are making too big a deal about it. The doctor will only think you are foolish if you are worried about something and put it off until he has to tell you it's malignant and has spread throughout your body

I was very, very lucky when they removed my 3 moles. I couldn't see 2 of them. One of them was pre-cancerous - for malignant melanoma!! The doc said it had been in the process of changing into cancer when they removed it. I was going to wait until after the summer one year to get checked out, I figured September would be good. Thia was early June. My husband pushed me to go before summer, reminding me what I knew about it. He was right, so I went. Imagine how I felt when the doctor told me it would have been full-blown melanoma by September!! I was very lucky.

One of my high school friends died 6 months after we graduated. We didn't listen to anyone about "that stuff."