Mole Versus Melanoma Skin Cancer Memphis Dermatologist
George Woodbury Jr. M.D. (01/14/2025)
About one American loses his or her life needlessly to Melanoma, a type of Skin Cancer, every 56 minutes. That’s about 9300 needless American deaths due to Malignant Melanoma each year. So let’s look at how you can spot the difference between a Mole and a Melanoma Skin Cancer, because early detection through Skin Cancer Screening definitely could save many of these people’s lives, my perspective being that of Board-certified Memphis Dermatologist, since 1993, with Rheumatology and Dermatology Associates, 8143 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova TN 38018.
The skin’s protective pigment is called Melanin, manufactured by Melanin-producing cells, called melanocytes. Melanin acts to prevent damage to our body’s DNA from ultraviolet light from the sun. A Mole is a collection of melanin-producing cells, and it’s quite normal for the average American to have between 5 and 35 Moles, often developing them between the ages of 5 and 35. But it’s ironic that the very cells that make this protective pigment, the Melanocytes, can at times go haywire and start dividing out of control, becoming Melanoma, a type of Skin Cancer. Melanoma is a less common type of Skin Cancer than Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma, but Melanoma is also the most dangerous type of Skin Cancer, in terms of lives lost each year.
Melanoma can develop in the skin, in the back of the eye (the Retina), in the mouth or sinuses, and even in the spinal cord. It can grow out of normal skin or out of a pre-existing normal mole, or arise as a growth right within the skin. Sometimes it can start out in a Mole that was present at birth, called a Congenital Mole, or Congenital Nevus. About 1500 of the 75,000 cases of invasive Melanoma that will develop this year arise in people below the age of 20, and about 250 of these cases arise in people below the age of 12, so Melanoma can occur in both kids and adults.
Melanoma is most common in fair-skinned White or Caucasian individuals, but also occurs in Native Americans, Asians, Latinos, and African-Americans. In fact, it is often diagnosed later in these groups, making treatment more involved, with high fatality rates. In fact, the Afro-Caribbean Reggae musician Bob Marley died in his late 30s of Melanoma which developed on one of his toes, a Skin Cancer which if caught early could have likely been effectively removed by Dermatologic Surgeon with an outpatient surgery.
The warning signs of Melanoma that Dermatologists watch for – to help to distinguish between a normal Mole and a Melanoma Skin Cancer - as originally described by Dr. Daryl Rigel and Dr. Al Kopf of New York University’s Department of Dermatology – are known as the A, B, C, D, E warning signs:
A stands for Asymmetry: one half of the mole does not match the other half.
B stands for an irregular Border: perhaps jagged like the coast of Maine, rather than smooth, like the coast of Florida.
C stands for Color change: perhaps a mole that’s particularly dark; or with different shades of brown, black, or gray; or with Color changes taking place.
D stands for a Diameter – or distance across – a mole that’s enlarging – particularly if that distance gets larger than the head of a number 2 pencil’s eraser.
E stands for Evolving or changing features.
So what’s the story on atypical moles, sometimes also called dysplastic nevi or dysplastic moles?
In the 1970s, a Dermatologist from the University of Pennsylvania – Dr. Wally Clark – first identified certain families within which people tended to have a number of dark moles and also people had a tendency to develop Melanoma. Dr. Clark described the features of a “Dysplastic Mole” or “Dysplastic Nevus,” also called an Atypical Mole, these being moles that were dark in color, often with a raised center and a flat periphery.
Because there is an increased risk of Melanoma in families of people with Atypical Moles, there are a number of research studies underway currently to help to identify the exact increased risk of Skin Cancer developing within an isolated atypical mole, because we know that people with atypical moles can develop Melanoma both from their normal skin, and from these dark moles. Until more data becomes available, many Dermatologists – including myself –advise that Atypical Moles be completely removed – unless patients have so many of them that it’s more feasible to photograph the moles and monitor them for changes – or if removal of a particular mole would be at risk of causing undue scarring.
A Dysplastic Mole or Atypical Mole can sometimes be suspected by a Dermatologist based upon inspecting the skin and finding a mole that’s unduly dark, or with a raised center.
For photos of melanoma and normal moles and atypical moles look like, go to the Skin Cancer Foundation website, SCF.org.
The good news about the type of Skin Cancer that we call Melanoma is that early detection definitely saves lives: if caught early, Melanoma is often curable with an outpatient removal or “excision,” under a shot of local anesthetic.
So the moral of the story is: “See Spot. See Spot Change. See a Dermatologist.” My own Memphis Dermatology practice for over 30 years has been with Rheumatology and Dermatology (www.Rheumderm.com: 8143 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova TN 38018: 1-901-753-0168. Or to find a “Best Dermatologist Near Me”, or “Best Dermatologists Near Me”, go to the American Society of Dermatology website, AAD.org, then plug your zip code into the “Find a Dermatologist” tab.
George Woodbury Jr. M.D.
(01/14/2025)
In 2016, I became President of Big River Silk™ Skincare, manufacturer of organic skincare focused around fragrance-free exfoliating moisturizer and fragrnce-fee cleanser. Our flagship products include best antiwrinkle cream with Glycolic Acid, GlycoShea™ Facial&Neck Lotion, best acne wash AmberSoy™ Soap Gel, and best organic moisturizer HypoShea™ Moisturizer Lotion.
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Check us out at www.Bigriversilkskincare.com (8143 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova TN 38018: 1-901-753-0168).
01/14/2025
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