dark freckle could it be malanoma

[sabrin42]

im 16 and i have a flat freckle or mole  on my chest area i have had it since i was born and now i think it has grown slightly
it is rather dark in colour and has irregular shape on 2 sides of the freckle its about 6mm in size there is no
itching or bleeding im worried to go to see a doctor as they may ask for a biopsy and im terriefied of having local anasthetic i would rather have general if they did want a biopsy. do u think it is malanoma and if so do u think i could get general anaesthetic or not.


This discussion is related to possible melanoma - i am scared, please fill me in.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Both freckles and melanomas are derived from abundance of melanin produced by - Melanocytes, which are skin cells containing the pigment melanin. Young people can get an accumalation like a freckle or a generalised tan, and old people or people who get lots of sun, may get an increase in number of melanocytes in the skin forming dark spots or moles. Most melanomas are benign, which means they are not harmful in any way. In some cases, however, these dark spots or moles can develop into melanomas that are malignant, which means they are a sign of a serious form of skin cancer.

Melanomas may appear anywhere on a person’s body, including hard to see areas such as in the nail bed, on the scalp, and inside the mouth or nose. Regardless of the location, there are several signs a person should look for when identifying malignant melanomas. The most common technique for inspecting melanomas to determine whether they are benign or malignant is to follow the ABCDs rule.

The A in the ABCDs rule stands for asymmetry. Benign melanomas are symmetrical, so both sides would look the same if the melanoma was cut in half. Melanomas that are asymmetrical, or that do not have matching halves, are potentially malignant.

The B in the ABCDs rule is the border. Malignant melanomas may have an uneven border, or they may have notched edges or a scalloped look. Benign melanomas, on the other hand, have smooth and even borders.

The C in the ABCDs rule represents the color. Benign melanomas are generally one shade of brown throughout. Malignant melanomas, on the other hand, may have a variety of brown, tan, and black coloring. As malignant melanomas become worse, they may change to white, red, or even blue.

The D of the ABCDs stands for diameter. Malignant melanomas usually grow to a larger size than those that are benign. Any melanoma that is the size of a pencil eraser or larger is potentially malignant.

Malignant melanomas may show one or several of the signs covered in the ABCDs rule. When caught early, malignant melanomas can be removed, and the patient can recover completely. If allowed to progress, however, the cancer may move to other areas of the body and become a serious, life-threatening disease.

For a diagnosis, a suspicious lesion may need to be biopsied and a local anesthetic may be used. However, the poor risk- benefit of using a General anesthesia does not mandate any use in this case. However, the doctor may take the last call.

Hope this helped. Let me know if you may need any more help.