Skin cancer and Melanoma signs and symptoms check

You may have seen Steph’s recent blog about Sun awareness month and the practical tips to help keep yourself safe in the sun and ways to adapt to sun exposure. After reading this, you may have thought that you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself, but you’re concerned and worried about a new dark spot or mole lesions on your skin. As it’s Melanoma month, we want to share information about what you can do to check for signs and symptoms of Skin cancer and Melanoma.

Skin cancer and melanoma- how do I check for signs and symptoms?

About half of all melanomas start with a new, abnormal-looking mole in normal-looking skin. This usually looks like a dark area or a new mole that changes over weeks or months. Other symptoms of melanoma develop from a mole that you already have. It’s important that you regularly check your body for early detection and here are some suggestions of how you can do this:

• A good time to check your skin is after a bath or shower.
  
  
• Make sure you have plenty of light.
  
  
• Use a full-length mirror and a small handheld mirror for areas that are hard to see. Including the soles of the feet and the top of your head. This will get easier with time, as you become more familiar with your skin and what your moles normally look like.
  
  
• You can ask your partner, a family member or friend to look at your back, neck and parts of your skin that are hard to see.
  
  
• You could also take pictures of your moles so you can see if there are any changes over time.
   

What does a malignant melanoma look like?  

It can be difficult to tell the difference between melanoma and a normal mole. The following checklist explains what to look for. It is called the ABCDE list: 

• Asymmetry- Most melanomas are likely to be uneven or irregular in shape (asymmetrical). Ordinary moles are usually more even and both halves look mostly the same (symmetrical).
  
  
• Border- The edges around a melanoma (border) are more likely to be uneven. Ordinary moles usually have a clear, smooth-edged border.
  
  
• Colour- Melanomas are usually more than one colour. They may have different shades, such as brown mixed with a black, red, pink, white or a blue tint. Normal moles usually only have shades of brown. If you have red or fair hair and pale skin, the melanoma may just be red with no brown.
  
  
• Diameter- Melanomas are usually more than 6mm wide. Normal moles are usually about the size of the blunt end of a pencil, or smaller. If you have lots of large moles, some of them may be larger than 5mm in diameter. These are likely to have been there for years without changing. But it is recommended that people with lots of moles and large moles get them checked by a dermatologist. This is important if you have had changes to moles in the past.
  
  
• Evolving- Look for changes in the size, shape or colour of a mole. An Irregular shape can include the area becoming raised or dome-shaped. Or if the mole is flat it may stay that way but become wider.

The image below helps explain what you need to look for and if you click on the picture, you will be taken to the main Macmillan information pages where you will find more details and images.

Where can I go for support?

When you notice something on your body it can cause worry and concern. It can also be a time where you don’t know where to go for support so groups like the Melanoma forum and the Skin cancer forum are great places to speak to others going through a similar experience. There are many conversations on the Community asking questions and offering support to one another, so click the links and join in with the following conversations:

“I saw my GP yesterday because I became aware of a changing mole on my back, it has always worried me as it was bigger than all the others but now it feels rough and has a raised patch which is a different colour.”
Orchid100, New to the Community

"I went to see GP beginning of October last year about I thought was a spot on my chin which just would not heal and I was getting worried. I had had it for five months before seeing him. He straightaway said he thought it was a bcc and took photos and made a referral to the dermatology clinic." 
Oldie76, Skin cancer forum

“I have a abnormal mole on the visible skin tissue at the top of my vagina.”
JadeV10, Ask a Nurse section

“I have found a lump on my leg (the same leg as before) the lump is a small pea sized and firm to the touch it is very close to where my lymph nodes were.  I have read online (NHS Birmingham) that melanoma can come back as a lump under the skin on the limb that was effected initially.”
Joobee333, Melanoma forum

“I had a squidgy tiny pink mark on my face just above my left eyebrow that I alerted the gp too in Feb.”
AMCCL, Melanoma forum

“I had a mole which had been on my chest for 1-2 years at that time. It had begun growing and was beyond 1cm, was black and brown, had an irregular edge and was itching. 4 or 5 caution points. Seeing the dermatologist for another reason, he took one look at it and immediately asked, "How long have you had this?" Oops. He excised it straight away and sent it for biopsy. The results were: Dysplastic nevus. An oddly shaped mole, but a benign mole nonetheless.”
Po18guy, Melanoma forum

We often see members of the Community posting pictures of their moles and marks on different parts of their body, worrying about skin cancer and Melanoma. It’s always a good idea to reach out for some support when you need to, however only a medical professional can correctly diagnose melanoma. This is why we kindly ask in the Community guidelines for members not to post images on the site looking for medical advice and a possible diagnosis.

Whilst we have recently relaxed the guidelines around sharing images on the site, we encourage people to speak to their GP and health care team about any new or change in symptom. If you want some more information about the change to our guidelines, you can click here to read the ‘Community guidelines update- sharing medical pictures’ blog.

There's more information on the Macmillan website about the melanoma warning signs and treatment options available. If you notice anything unusual on your skin that does not go away after four weeks, show it to your doctor. It might help to take a photograph of anything unusual so you can check for any changes. Remember that there are many other skin conditions that are not cancer, especially in older people. It can be more difficult to notice changes if you have darker skin. This is because symptoms of skin cancer can be less obvious than those for people with paler skin. If you notice any changes or develop a sore that does not heal, speak to your doctor.

If you have an experience you'd like to share, please post in the comment box below or post in the Melanoma and Skin cancer forums. If you have any comments or questions about this blog, you can also email the team to community@macmillan.org.uk.