ABCD MOLES SKIN

ABCD MOLES SKIN

In short, a lump or elevation increase above the surface of the skin is a warning sign of vertical growth beneath the surface. Malignant cells may be released into lymph and blood vessels, spreading to other parts of the body. As it penetrates further into the dermis, however, it begins an 'invasive vertical' growth phase, becoming less curable as downward growth progresses into the loose connective tissue beneath the dermis (the subcutaneous layer). Still, curability is about 90 percent at this point. As the melanoma grows and reaches the middle layer of the skin (the dermis), it begins an 'invasive radial' growth phase.

Radial melanomas start in the thin outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) and at first usually undergo a surface growth phase that is noninvasive and completely curable. The animation above shows a radial melanoma growing into the skin.

When the thickness reaches 3 mm, curability is only about 50 percent and quickly decreases as the thickness increases further. Elevation changes are critical because, when the thickness of a melanoma exceeds 1 mm, the chance of internal spread increases. The beginning of a bump or thickness increase in a mole, freckle, blemish, or birthmark-even if the increase is small-often signifies a melanoma that is entering a dangerous phase. In addition to the ABCD properties, there is an E change to watch for, and if you see it you should act immediately. Although not all changes will turn out to be melanoma, don't take any chances, and above all, don't make the mistake of trying to be your own doctor. Usually these changes occur over a period of several weeks, or more typically, months. Asymmetry moles that are not perfectly round one half does not equal the other half in regard to size and shape. This represents just one of many different ways a mole can change. The initial appearance of bumps often signals the last chance to act before a melanoma spreads internally.

If a mole is SMOOTH and DARK, then use the ABCD checklist. As the melanoma continues to grow, its color becomes darker and less uniform, black bumps begin to appear, and in the late stages, most of the melanoma has become black and lumpy. BENIGN MOLES (here I define a mole as any pigmented lesion seen on the skin) do CHANGE. In the animation above, the earliest signs of an atypical mole changing into a radial melanoma are 1) the increase in size, and 2) the shape becoming more irregular.

Abcd moles