Read more about sunscreen and sun safety.The default option for search is to search for text that matches All of the words (AND).
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Regularly checking your skin can help lead to an early diagnosis and increase your chances of successful treatment.
You can help protect yourself from sun damage by using sunscreen and dressing sensibly in the sun. On these occasions you need to be very careful, particularly if you have pale skin and many moles. Most people get sunburned while on holiday abroad, or in the UK during the summer while doing outdoor activities such as gardening, sunbathing or playing cricket. Melanoma is not always preventable, but you can reduce your chances of developing it by avoiding getting sunburned (even going pink in the sun).
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You'll also be taught how to examine your skin and lymph nodes to help detect melanoma if it returns. If your cancer team feels there's a significant risk of melanoma returning, you'll need regular check-ups to monitor your health. This risk is increased if the cancer was more advanced or widespread. Once you have had melanoma, there's a chance it may return. This usually involves medicines that target specific genetic changes in the melanoma, such as BRAF inhibitors, or medicines that boost your body's immune responses to the melanoma. If melanoma is not diagnosed until an advanced stage, treatment is mainly used to slow the spread of the cancer and reduce symptoms. If melanoma is diagnosed and treated at an early stage, surgery is usually successful. The main treatment for melanoma is surgery, although your treatment will depend on your circumstances. You may also have a test to check if melanoma has spread to your lymph glands (nodes). But in cases of melanoma, the whole thing is usually removed from the beginning. This is known as a biopsy.Ī biopsy usually involves removing a small sample of tissue. In most cases, a suspicious mole will be surgically removed and closely examined to see whether it's cancerous.
They'll refer you to a specialist clinic or hospital if they think you have melanoma. See a GP if you notice any change to your moles. More than 2,300 people die every year in the UK from melanoma. This is thought to be the result of increased exposure to intense sunlight while on holiday abroad. Over recent years, skin cancer has become much more common in the UK. More than 1 in 4 skin cancer cases are diagnosed in people under 50, which is unusually early compared with most other types of cancer. Around 16,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed each year. Melanoma skin cancer is the 5th most common cancer in the UK. a close family member who's had melanoma.For example, while on holiday, which leads to sunburn.Ĭertain things can increase your chance of developing melanoma, such as having: The type of sun exposure that causes melanoma is sudden intense exposure. Melanoma is caused by skin cells that begin to develop abnormally.Įxposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun is thought to cause most melanomas, but there's evidence to suggest that some may result from sunbed exposure. Amelanotic melanomaĪmelanotic melanomas have little or no colour, but may occasionally be pink or red, or have light brown or grey edges.Ĭancer Research UK has more information about the different types of melanoma. They can also sometimes develop around a nail, most commonly the thumbnail or big toenail.Īcral lentiginous melanomas are the most common type of melanoma in people with dark skin, but they can happen in people with any skin colour. Acral lentiginous melanomaĪcral lentiginous melanomas are a rare type of melanoma that usually grow on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. They can gradually get bigger and may change shape.Īt a later stage, they may grow downwards into the deeper layers of skin and can form lumps (nodules). They look like a freckle, but they're usually larger, darker and stand out more than a normal freckle. To start with, lentigo maligna melanomas are flat and develop sideways in the surface layers of skin. They develop slowly over several years and appear in areas that are often exposed to the sun, such as the face. Lentigo maligna melanomas most commonly affect older people, particularly those who have spent a lot of time outdoors.
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