Abcd of moles skin#

Regularly checking your skin can help lead to an early diagnosis and increase your chances of successful treatment.The ABCDE criteria represent a method used to evaluate pigmented (melanocytic) skin lesions in order to aid the detection of malignant melanoma. You can help protect yourself from sun damage by using sunscreen and dressing sensibly in the sun. On these occasions you need to be really careful, particularly if you have pale skin and many moles.

Most people get burnt while abroad on holiday or in Ireland in the summer while doing outdoor activities, such as gardening, sunbathing or playing sports. Melanoma isn't always preventable, but you can reduce your chances of developing it by avoiding getting sunburned (even going pink in the sun).

Abcd of moles how to#

You'll also be taught how to examine your skin and lymph nodes to help detect melanoma if it returns. If your cancer team feels there's a significant risk of your melanoma returning, you'll need regular check-ups to monitor your health. This risk is increased if your cancer was more advanced or widespread. Once you've had melanoma, there's a chance it may return. This usually involves medicines that target specific genetic changes in the melanoma, such as BRAF inhibitors, or medicines that boost the body's immune responses to the melanoma (so-called checkpoint therapies). If melanoma isn't diagnosed until an advanced stage, treatment is mainly used to slow the spread of the cancer and reduce symptoms.

If melanoma is diagnosed and treated at an early stage, surgery is usually successful. The main treatment for melanoma is surgery, although your treatment will depend on your circumstances. Read more about diagnosing melanoma Treating melanoma You may also have a test to check if melanoma has spread to the lymph glands (nodes). However, in cases of melanoma, the whole thing is usually removed from the beginning. A biopsy usually involves removing a small tissue sample. In most cases, a suspicious mole will be surgically removed and closely examined to see whether it's cancerous. if they think you have melanoma they'll refer you to a pigmented lesion clinic. See your GP if you notice any change to your moles. Read more about the causes of melanoma Diagnosing melanoma

a close family member who's had melanoma.

The type of sun exposure that causes melanoma is sudden intense exposure – for example, while on holiday, which leads to sunburn.Ĭertain things can increase your chances of developing melanoma, such as having: Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun is thought to cause most melanomas, but there's evidence to suggest that some may result from sunbed exposure. Melanoma is caused by skin cells that begin to develop abnormally. They usually have little or no colour, but may occasionally be pink or red, or have light brown or grey edges. Read more about the symptoms of melanoma Types of melanoma Superficial spreading melanomaĪmelanotic melanomas are also rare, accounting for about 5 in 100 melanomas (5%). This covers a range of features that can help you spot if a mole is becoming cancerous. You can check your moles by learning the ABCDE of moles. Most moles are harmless, but in a few rare cases they can develop into an aggressive form of skin cancer called malignant melanoma. Look out for a mole which changes progressively in shape, size and/or colour.

The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed. In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than one colour. Melanomas are uncommon in areas which are protected from sun exposure, such as the buttocks and the scalp. This can occur anywhere on the body, but the most commonly affected areas are the back in men and the legs in women.

The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole. There are approximately 160 deaths every year in Ireland from melanoma. This is thought to be the result of increased exposure to intense sunlight while on holiday abroad. Over recent years, skin cancer has become much more common in Ireland. More than a quarter of skin cancer cases are diagnosed in people under 50, which is unusually early compared to most other types of cancer. Around 1,100 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year. Who's affectedĮxcluding non-melanoma, melanoma is the fourth most common cancer in the Ireland. This means it can be more serious than non-melanoma skin cancer, but it is less common. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body.