Melanomas are malignant lesions on the skin. They are formed from melanocytes - cells that synthesize melanin. The latter is the pigment on which the color of the human skin depends. In general, the signs of melanoma are not so common. But recently, unfortunately, the incidence increases. And most often young people suffer.
Why does the melanoma appear?
Melanomas, like other malignant tumors, appear due to damage to the DNA of healthy cells. Preceding this transformation can be absolutely different factors.
- Very long exposure to ultraviolet rays is dangerous. Especially neat experts recommend to be people with a delicate skin - usually blonde and white.
- Often, melanoma symptoms appear in patients with atypical moles. The latter are easy to distinguish - they are asymmetrical and rise above the surface of the epidermis. In the risk zone are those who have birthmarks - of any kind - very much.
- To monitor your health with special care is needed for people with weakened immunity. They are susceptible to various ailments, including cancer.
Fear of melanoma is for those people whose disease has already been cured once. Sometimes the disease develops and against a background of hereditary predisposition.
Signs and symptoms of skin melanoma
Unlike other types of oncology, melanomas are located on the surface, so it is not so difficult to notice them. The first sign of the degeneration of a birthmark in melanoma is its very active growth . It does not matter whether the old nevus or newly formed one grows in size. If this happens, you need to urgently go to a specialist.
To the symptoms of the disease, it is also customary to include a change in the shape and color of the birthmark. Usually nevi round brown. If the contours of the spots begin to blur and more black shades appear on them - this should be considered as an important sign of melanoma of the skin.
It is undesirable to ignore the cases when crusts appear on the nevi, or from them the liquid oozes. In benign formations, this does not happen.
To the secondary signs of skin melanoma it is customary to include the following:
- itching;
- hair loss in the spot area;
- the appearance of sores;
- bleeding;
- burning sensation;
- change in the composition of the mole (with melanoma it becomes softer);
- swelling of the tissues around the nevus;
- formation of pigmented areas.