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.

G – 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.