Skin Cancer Melanoma Picture

A skin cancer melanoma picture looks like a pigmented area of skin that has become disorganized. Instead of a smooth mole the edges become jagged. The pigment gets mixed up with multiple colors in the skin cancer mole.

Some people do not have a skin cancer mole. Instead they have the pigment from a melanoma show up on normal skin. No mole was there before. The skin can be raised or flat but is irregular in appearance.

A skin cancer can show a blackened area with dark pigment. It can show normal brown pigment. In worst cases, it can show no pigment at all, which makes it hard to find and discover. Doctors must do a biopsy on a non-pigmented mole to see if it is melanoma or not.

What does melanoma look like?

Because it is so deadly, many want to know what does melanoma look like. It is found on the trunk and legs the most. These are areas that don’t get regular exposure to the sun but burn easily when they do.

There is a strong relationship between tanning beds and skin cancer. Tanning beds expose the whole body and you can get melanomas anywhere. Tanning beds and skin cancer have a greater risk in fair skinned individuals who burn easily.

Melanoma is the only skin cancer that has significant pigment to it. This is because it is made from melanocytes. Melanocytes are the pigment-producing cells of the skin.

Link between Tanning Beds and Skin Cancer

You can get all types of skin cancer from tanning beds. You can get basal cell cancer, usually of the head and neck. You can get squamous cell cancer, usually of the face, neck and arms or hands. Melanoma is the only skin cancer more common on the trunk.

The UVA and UVB lights in tanning beds cause damage to skin. The skin burns and peels. Most doctors believe that it is the repetitive burning and peeling of the skin that causes skin cancer.

Most people don’t use sunscreen when tanning. Instead they use suntan accelerators that make the whole process worse. If you must use a tanning bed, do not use a suntan accelerator. Better yet, stay out of the tanning bed altogether.

The Picture of Malignant Melanoma

The prognosis of malignant melanoma depends on the stage of the cancer. The stage of the cancer is dependent on the depth of the melanoma under the skin and whether or not the malignant melanoma has spread to other body areas.

If the stage of melanoma is stage I, the picture of malignant melanoma looks good. Up to 88 percent of these people live up to 10 years after their diagnosis. For stage IV melanoma, the worst stage, the survival rate for ten years is 3 percent. Besides the lungs, other areas of the body involved in melanoma have a better survival rate. It is no higher than 16 percent.

In the best of circumstances, a person is found to have stage 0 malignant melanoma. This means that the malignant melanoma is small and not very deep. It means it has not traveled to other body areas. A hundred percent of these people live past 10 years.

What you should do

To look for malignant melanoma, go to Google and look at a skin cancer melanoma picture. You should know what it looks like. You should also check your own body in the mirror every month.

At this web site is a slide show to illustrate the different types of skin cancer.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/melanoma/DS00575

Check all moles to make sure they haven’t changed. Look for the border and color of all moles. Check for new moles or freckles to make sure they don’t have signs of malignant melanoma.

See your doctor every year for a skin check. You should do this especially if you are fair skinned and have a lot of moles. Your doctor will document the moles and biopsy any that look at all suspicious.

You should wear sunscreen at all times, even when you are just outside walking around. You should wear sunscreen on your face and nose especially. Reapply sunscreen every few hours, especially if you are sweating or in the water.

Summary

A skin cancer melanoma picture looks like a mole that has become more irregular or has the pigment spreading beyond the border of the raised part of the mole. The colors may be multicolored or at least two different colors other than just brown. There is such a thing as an amelanotic melanoma, in which there is no pigment to the cancer. This is not common. Do a self-check every month and have your doctor check your moles every year. Make sure that the doctor does a biopsy of every mole that has changed or is new.

Written by: Dr. Christine Traxler
Edited by: Margaret Stenerson
July 12, 2010