Melanoma - When a Freckle is Not a Freckle

Melanoma is a really hot subject and nicely covered in most magazines at 1 time or an additional. Presently with the new healthcare program looming a new tax is going to be imposed on Tanning Salon companies. You might ask why a tanning salon would be taxed under this new Healthcare strategy? Nicely these locations are "Hot Beds" for the development of these cancers. The direct UV light usually unprotected in such high concentration extremely is like putting your self in a cancer machine, and though I am not here writing as an activist, I would only say that they need to be avoided, and buyer beware.

So where can this deadly cancer rear its ugly head. It is a skin cancer so certainly it occurs on the skin. What is not so obvious is what folks perceive as skin.

The definition of skin is "the body's outer covering. It protects us against heat and light, injury, and infection. It regulates body temperature and shops water, fat, and vitamin D. Weighing about 6 pounds, the skin is the body's largest organ. It is produced up of two principal layers; the outer epidermis and the inner dermis. The epidermis (outer layer of the skin) is mostly produced up of flat, scale-like cells referred to as squamous cells. Under the squamous cells are round cells known as basal cells. The deepest portion of the epidermis also contains melanocytes (the cells that trigger Melanoma). These cells produce melanin, which gives the skin its color. The dermis (inner layer of skin) contains blood and lymph vessels, hair follicles, and glands. These glands produce sweat, which assists regulate body temperature, and sebum, an oily substance that assists maintain the skin from drying out. Sweat and sebum reach the skin's surface by means of tiny openings known as pores.

So this is a rather broad definition of our largest organ, but it does illustrate that in addition to the skin that we all attempt to tan, and minimize wrinkles on and tattoo, our skin is also those linings of our body that we do not readily expose to the sun. This consists of our oral mucosa, scalp, vaginal lining, nail beds (extremely deadly location). It is my hope that this data will save a life. Hold your doctors to a greater common and they will respect you for it. The Dermatologist is naturally the skin professional, but your other doctors, which includes Dentists, Podiatrists, Gynecolgists, Proctologists, really should be checking for these skin cancers often, and you as the patient ought to also be conscious that melanoma can be identified on any skin surface, not only sun exposed location (even though they are clearly the most regular)

I recall a patient of mine, who presents with a "wart" that she had present for a lot of months on her heel. She were via several topical remedies at numerous doctors prior to she presented to my workplace. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, following searching at this "wart" it appeared to have some abnormal pigment, I felt that a biopsy was prudent as her other remedies had been unsuccessful in clearing the lesion. When the pathology came back Malignant Nodular Melanoma, I was glad that I did. The patient was informed that she had this extremely aggressive skin cancer and that it needed removal. She was subsequently operated on which needed a large quantity of tissue to be removed from the back of her heel, as nicely as a skin graft to cover the location.

The tumor was staged, which demands both pathologic and surgical evaluation of the patient as nicely as the skin specimen. Luckily this melanoma was caught in its early stages just before it entering the patients blood stream. It has been 5 years because that operation and I lately saw this patient in the neighborhood pushing a stroller with her 3 year old son, I felt great understanding that I had not only saved her life but, that I played a component in permitting this new life to come into the world. Check your self monthly for Suspicious Moles utilizing the ABCDE Characteristic System. If you locate any of these characteristics on your skin, make an appointment for evaluation by your doctor.

• ASYMMETRY; 1 half in contrast to the other half.
• BORDER; irregular, scalloped or poorly defined border.
• COLOR; varied from 1 location to an additional; shades of tan, brown, and black; at times white, red, or blue.
• DIAMETER; melanomas are frequently higher than 6mm (the size of a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, but they can be smaller.
• EVOLVING; a mole or skin lesion that looks various from the rest or is altering in size, shape, or color.