What should you know about mm melanoma?

Melanoma can begin in an existing mole or as a new mark. Warning features include change in size, shape, colour, or surface; an uneven outline; several shades in one lesion; persistent itching; tenderness; crusting; or bleeding. These signs do not confirm melanoma, but they justify examination. A clinician may inspect the skin with magnification and remove a suspicious area for laboratory diagnosis. The report helps determine depth and whether further staging is needed.

Book a dermatology appointment promptly for a changing, new, or bleeding pigmented mark. Photographing it beside a ruler and noting when the change began can help the consultation, but do not delay care while monitoring it. Do not burn, freeze, shave, or laser a suspicious mole. If melanoma is confirmed, treatment may include Surgical Excision or Skin Cancer Surgery; selected cases need a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, Immunotherapy, or wider tumour removal. Follow-up is planned around the diagnosis and treatment.

Arrange urgent clinical review for rapid change, spontaneous bleeding, an open sore, marked pain, or a dark streak under a nail. Seek immediate help for severe symptoms such as new neurological problems, confusion, weakness, seizures, or severe headache, particularly in someone already diagnosed with melanoma, because spread to the brain can require urgent assessment. Brain Metastases is a separate condition that specialists evaluate with appropriate tests.

Ask whether the lesion needs biopsy, what the pathology report will measure, whether margins or lymph nodes need assessment, and how soon treatment should begin. Ask how to check your skin, protect it from ultraviolet exposure, and arrange Follow-Up After Cancer Treatment if melanoma is diagnosed.