How do you know if you have skin cancer ?

The Facts

You can only decide that you have something that looks as if it MIGHT be skin cancer: only a test at your hospital can tell - go to your GP and s/he'll set one up for you.

A mole MIGHT be a melanoma if:
It is patchy rather than a solid colour;
It is itchy
It bleeds when scratched
It is irregularly shaped
It has grown recently
(or some combination of these)

But equally it might not. Get it tested.

I work at a derm office and we see skin cancer all the time. You can identify skin cancer by self skin examination. If you see any lesion on your skin that is very dark to black, uneven borders, if it bleeds at times, will not heal, is growing in size, then you should have a dermatologist examine it. IF the dermatologist feels it is a questionable lesion or a possible skin cancer, they will anesthetize your skin with a small injection, then they will either shave the lesion off or use a punch device to take it off. They will send it to the lab for pathology report to confirm exactly what the lesion is. A basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma are very easily treated. The more serious kind is the malignant melanoma, which luckily is not as common as the first two. It is very good to have a dermatologist check your skin once a year to identify any potential lesions of concern. People can also have lesions called actinic keratosis, which are 'precancerous' lesions..meaning they have the potential to become a skin cancer and so it is very wise to have those treated when they are found. Follow the ABCDE's of melanoma:
A - Asymmetry (both sides do not match)
B - Border (blurred, ragged)
C - Color (the color is not uniform, shades of tan, brown black present)
D - Diameter (the size of a pencil eraser or larger, and it grows)
E - Elevation/Evolution (the lesion is at different contours, and it is changing.

my dad has had one treated on his chest...that looked like a small red patch...bit like a small cigarette burn...the doctor noticed it..my dad didn't.

now..my mum has a cancer on the end of her nose...which started as a spot that weeped & wouldn't heal. shortly, the tip of her nose has to be removed & grafting taken from behind her ears to repair it after surgery.

my point is...skin cancers are hard to detect..as they show themselves different...on different people...so anything you don't like on your body...show the doctor!

by going to the doctors who will send you to a hospital for tests. not every1 dies from skin cancer 2 of my friends have had it and they are clear and have been for many years

check for blotches on your skin, or a dark mole that could be enlarged, and, no, if you have it, it doesnt mean you will die. if you have a question about something on your skin, please contact a doctor soon

the mole will:
change shape
colour
expand

type it into a search engin/ go and see a doctor they will say if you have it or not
x

Its called melonama,if you have it you will die..