How to check your moles for signs of skin cancer (2024)

FAQs

How to check your moles for signs of skin cancer? ›

Redness or a new swelling beyond the border of the mole. Change in sensation, such as itchiness, tenderness, or pain. Change in the surface of a mole – scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a lump or bump.

Melanomas are often an uneven colour and contain more than one shade. A melanoma might have different shades of black, brown and pink. Normal moles usually have an even colour. If they have 2 colours in them, the colours are normally symmetrical across the 2 halves.

you have a mole that's changed size, shape or colour. you have a mole that's painful or itchy. you have a mole that's inflamed, bleeding or crusty. you have a new or unusual mark on your skin that has not gone away after a few weeks.

Color that is uneven: Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, gray, red, pink, or blue may also be seen. Diameter: There is a change in size, usually an increase. Melanomas can be tiny, but most are larger than the size of a pea (larger than 6 millimeters or about 1/4 inch).

With stage I melanoma, the tumor's thickness is 1mm or less. This tumor may or may not have ulcerated, and it isn't yet believed to have spread beyond the original site.

The most common type of melanoma usually appears as a flat or barely raised lesion with irregular edges and different colours. Fifty per cent of these melanomas occur in preexisting moles.

For example, certain types of skin cancer can be diagnosed initially just by visual inspection — though a biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. But other cancers can form and grow undetected for 10 years or more , as one study found, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult.

A mole that does not have the same color throughout or that has shades of tan, brown, black, blue, white, or red is suspicious. Normal moles are usually a single shade of color. A mole of many shades or that has lightened or darkened should be checked by a doctor.

"While rare, melanoma can sometimes develop in just a few months, rather than several years," says Dr. Jih. "What's more is that, in these cases, it's generally a smaller mole that is rapidly changing, but these changes are harder to spot.

Is it bad if a mole falls off? ›

Most moles will slowly disappear, seeming to fade away. Others will become raised so far from the skin that they may develop a small “stalk” and eventually fall off or are rubbed off. This is the typical life cycle of the common mole and can occur over 50 years. Moles may darken, with exposure to the sun.

Most moles are benign (non-cancerous). If you notice changes in a mole's color or appearance, have your mole evaluated by a dermatologist. You also should have moles checked if they bleed, ooze, itch, appear scaly, or become tender or painful.

A normal mole is usually an evenly colored brown, tan, or black spot on the skin. It can be either flat or raised. It can be round or oval. Moles are generally less than 6 millimeters (about ¼ inch) across (about the width of a pencil eraser).

Any change in size, shape, color or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

Skin cancer diagnosis always requires a skin biopsy

The procedure that your dermatologist uses to remove the spot is called a skin biopsy. Having a skin biopsy is essential. It's the only way to know whether you have skin cancer. There's no other way to know for sure.

They are described as “hazy” because the precancerous mole fades into the healthy skin. Color: Whereas a common mole is one color, a precancerous mole is often a mixture of various colors like brown, black, red, or blue. Diameter: The larger the mole, the more likely it is precancerous.

The most common symptom of subungual melanoma is a discolored line that appears on your nail. It's usually brown or black and runs from top to bottom (vertical). In some cases, the line can be irregularly shaped and increase in length and width over time.

Having a skin biopsy is essential. It's the only way to know whether you have skin cancer. There's no other way to know for sure. What your dermatologist removes will be looked at under a microscope.

“You could have melanoma for a long time before you realize it, because some types are not so obvious. Some aggressive forms, like nodular melanoma, grow fast, are visible and can hurt or bleed.” While certain groups may be at a higher risk for melanoma, anyone can get the disease.