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Skin Care Resources
Melanoma -- The Deadliest Of Skin Cancers
Most people have heard of the word "Melanoma" and realize that it is something bad, but only a few are aware of exactly what a melanoma looks like. Many have heard of the old term "black mole cancer"; however, the latest improvements in detecting melanoma reveal that they can be detected long before the moles have become an enlarged black growth.
Of course, early detection is extremely important as the survival rate for those whose melanomas are thin (early), is near 100%. The most common and easiest way to remember what to look for in early detection is to think of the simplistic phrase "The ABCD's of Melanoma:" "A" stands for asymmetry, "B" stand for border (irregular or hazy), "c" stands for color (black, but also any mole that shows differing shades of brown in the same lesion), and "D" stands for diameter (rapidly growing or greater than the diameter of a pencil eraser is important). Some people add "E" in that any mole which becomes elevated after being flat for a long time is suspicious; however, the large number of ordinary moles gradually elevate as we age.
If you would like color pictures to help remember the ABCD's of melanoma, please email us. |
