Melanoma
What Is It?
Melanoma is a type of cancer of the skin. The skin is really another body organ. The skin is made up of two layers, the epidermis and the dermis.The cells that become cancerous in malignant melanoma are called 'melanocytes'. They are found between the dermis and epidermis. The job of melanocytes is to make a pigment or colouring for the skin. The pigment helps to protect the body from the ultraviolet light of the sun which can cause burns. Races that originally come from hotter climates with more sunshine tend to have naturally darker skins. They do not have more of the melanocyte cells than paler races, but their melanocytes are more active, making more of the pigment.
Symptoms
If you have a mole that is:
Getting bigger
Changing shape, particularly getting an irregular edge
Changing colour - getting darker, becoming patchy or multi-shaded
Itching or painful
Bleeding or becoming crusty
Looks inflamed
you should go to the doctor straight away. Research suggest that moles with 3 or
more different shades of brown or black are particularly likely to be melanoma.
Treatment
Treatment is usually successful in early stage melanoma.Web link - click here.