Cancer - skin

Skin cancers may have many different appearances. They can be small, shiny, waxy, scaly and rough, firm and red, crusty or bleeding, or have other features. Therefore, anything suspicious should be looked at by a physician. See the articles on specific skin cancers for more information.

Here are some features to look for:

• Asymmetry: one half of the abnormal skin area is different than the other half
• Borders: irregular borders
• Color: varies from one area to another with shades of tan, brown, or black (sometimes white, red, blue)
• Diameter: usually (but not always) larger than 6 mm in size (diameter of a pencil eraser)
• Any skin growth that bleeds or will not heal

Use a mirror or have someone help you look on your back, shoulders, and other hard-to-see areas.

Images

Skin cancer, close-up of level III melanoma

Melanoma - neck

Sun’s effect on skin

Skin cancer, close-up of level IV melanoma

Sun protection

Skin cancer, raised multi-color melanoma

Skin

Skin cancer, melanoma on the fingernail

Melanoma of the liver - MRI scan

Malignant melanoma

Skin cancer, melanoma - flat, brown lesion

Skin cancer, close-up of lentigo maligna melanoma

Skin cancer, melanoma - raised, dark lesion

Skin cancer, malignant melanoma

Sentinel node biopsy

Skin cancer, melanoma superficial spreading

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Skin cancer Treatment

Review Date: 08/12/2009
Reviewed By: Jonathan Kantor, MD, North Florida Dermatology Associates, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)