What is Melanoma?

Melanoma is the most serious type of cancer. It can appear as a new lesion or in an existing mole. 

It’s important to check yourself every four months and book a skin check with a skin expert each year. This will mean you’re more likely to spot signs of sun damage before they develop into something more serious. You’ll also get a better understanding of what your normal skin looks like, so anything new or changing will be more obvious.

That mole on your back could be just that – a harmless mole, and nothing to worry about. Or it could be a sign that you’ve developed a skin cancer. The ABCDEFG method will help you tell which is which.

A – Asymmetry

Benign ‘normal’ moles will generally be symmetrical – a nice round circle or oval, for example. A skin cancer lesion may be odd-shaped or asymmetrical.

B – Border

Look at the border of your mole – is it jagged, irregular, or without a hard edge? Usually, benign moles have smooth, even edges.

C – Colour

The colour of your mole is a sign too. Benign moles tend to have a single colour, while a lesion may have more than one colour or shade.

D – Different

The mole could be different from other lesions or there is a change, particularly an increase, in size.

E – Evolution

How your mole changes or evolves over time is worth noticing – it could be the most important factor in telling the difference between a mole, which won’t change much at all, and skin cancer, which will grow or change colour very rapidly.

F – Firm

Your mole or lesion is firm to touch.

Growing

Most melanoma (but not all) are larger than 6mm and keep growing.

If something doesn’t look right, get it checked. It could make all the difference.