Be sure to have your skin checked after the summer. Early detection of melanoma is almost 100%. curable

Melanoma can develop not only on the skin but, for example, under the fingernail or in the eye. If detected early, the chances of a cure are enormous. They reach almost 100 percent. The situation is completely different for patients whose melanoma has already developed enough to give any symptoms. – It means that we do not have much life left – says the dermatologist prof. Aleksandra Lesiak in an interview with Medonet.

1. Melanoma is a skin lesion that may initially be just a few millimeters in diameter
2. It is easy to overlook or downplay. It is difficult with the naked eye to judge whether or not a lesion is melanoma or skin cancer. Only a dermatologist can determine this
3. After the summer, everyone should visit a doctor to check if nothing disturbing has appeared on the skin
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Agnieszka Mazur-Puchała, Medonet: The holiday is behind us, many Poles spent this time on the beaches, others exposed their bodies to the sun, not always remembering about sunscreen. Is this a good time to visit a dermatologist and have your skin checked?

Prof. dr hab. Aleksandra Lesiak, specialist in dermatology: I believe that at least once a year every informed citizen should go to a dermatologist and see not only their moles, but also simply assess the condition of their skin. Indeed, holidays favor an increased “movement” of patients. Feelings of conscience appear that “oh, I did not apply my hair again, I was lying in the sun again without restraint” and this motivates us to come to the office and check myself. We have two such peaks. The first is before summer. But unfortunately, despite the fact that public awareness is growing, there are definitely not enough people who come to the dermatologist regularly to check their skin.

Most of us have moles, there are a lot of them. I think that many Poles simply conclude that “such is their beauty” …

In such a situation I always say: and how often do you visit the dentist? «No time a year». Exactly. You also have to visit the dermatologist once a year. Just. Also half the trouble if someone has moles from birth. Most of the melanomas we fear are new and minor changes. Even minimal, literally a few millimeters in diameter. At this very early stage, any melanoma, if surgically excised, is 100 percent. curable. It just needs to be detected.

The rest of the text is below the video.

Is there any way to tell a melanoma from a normal mole on your own?

For a patient who looks at the lesion with the naked eye, a melanoma may not be different from a mole. We examine it dermoscopically at 20 or even 70 times magnification. Then we can see some structures that indicate that we are dealing with it. ABCDE (asymmetry, border, color, diameter, evolution) rules are also important – asymmetry, uneven edges, different colors within one lesion, diameter greater than 6 mm, evolution, i.e. a change that was flat and became convex or reddened.

Today, there are also smartphone services based on artificial intelligence and the knowledge of dermatology and oncology specialists, such as SkinVision. A number of clinical pictures of melanomas are stored in such a service. Using a smartphone, it is possible to check our birthmarks and detect the likelihood of a skin cancer risk. This is a solution that allows you to strengthen self-control when it comes to melanoma. Such a service on a smartphone will not replace a doctor, but it may motivate to urgent contact with a specialist. Because when a person sees that something has happened to their skin, and the service informs through the application that it is necessary to contact a doctor, such a patient will say: “I must see a doctor as soon as possible”. Such a medical service on a smartphone will rather say too much, i.e. that a change is a cancer, and under a dermatoscope it will turn out that it is not so bad. The other way around, it doesn’t work anymore. I emphasize once again: the smartphone service is not intended to replace a doctor, but only to help raise awareness about the health of our skin, get into the habit of checking our skin regularly, and if something bothers us, make an appointment with a specialist.

Does melanoma have any symptoms other than it just is?

When melanoma is symptomatic, it means we don’t have much life left. It could be bleeding, redness, ulceration. In a very advanced stage, satellite metastases, i.e. foci around the nevus, appear. Itching may appear, and in the disseminated form also metastases to internal organs. But we are not talking about such melanoma. Let’s talk about the one that has absolutely no symptoms, is very slight, and can be completely curable. In the case of 1A melanoma, the 10-year survival rate is 99%.

It can be years between early and advanced melanoma from the time it begins to develop. We just need to check ourselves regularly to avoid a tragedy.

Melanoma is the most talked about cancer. But there are also other skin lesions that can be dangerous.

Yes, we also have skin cancers, because melanoma is not a cancer. It is a malignant tumor. When it comes to skin cancer, we have the most common in the Caucasian race – basal cell cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common one. They account for 99 percent. all non-melanoma skin cancers. Such cancers may be preceded by precancerous conditions such as actinic keratosis. It is watched very often, but also often neglected. Old skin, it’s peeling off, it’s definitely nothing serious. And from this can develop squamous cell carcinoma, which in 14 percent. can metastasize. As is known, the prognosis for the patient is not good in the case of metastatic disease.

Then let’s talk about symptoms that could indicate that we are developing a skin cancer. What to look for?

Basal cell carcinoma manifests itself differently. However, the most common is the nodular or superficial form. In the case of the former, we have a pearly-colored nodule. A raised lesion above the skin surface, often on the face, temples or cheeks. Often it is a lump that suddenly ulcers inside. A morning is made which does not heal, the patient smears it with e.g. zinc ointment, the condition improves for a moment, and then problems begin again. The wound opens again. A surface form is such a stain, sometimes with slight peeling or pans on the surface.

Squamous cell carcinoma is an ulceration in the morning. Often at the junction of the lips, on the ear, on the hands. These can be different locations. These crayfish do not itch, sting, or hurt. They just keep progressing. If something appears on our skin that was not there, let’s not go to the proverbial Goździkowa, but go to a dermatologist.

The most common skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma. One in five people will develop it in their lifetime.

Is it our fault?

Yes, it is our fault. Of course, it’s genetics as well, and our light phototype, fair complexion. This phototype makes us sunburn more easily. And this, in turn, correlates with the development of cancer later in life. It is mainly a disease of the elderly, although we are just reaping the toll of sunbeds, so crowded in the 90s. We have girls over 40, who develop basal cell carcinoma.

What if we were diligent creams with high filter …

We would definitely reduce the risk of skin cancer. Though not for tanning visits. There is no way to make such tanning safe here. On the other hand, when it comes to sunscreen, it conscientiously means 2 mg per 1 cm2. So for one lubrication you need approx. 30 ml of cream. Now let’s ask ourselves if any of us really do. Three spreads are 100 ml of cream, i.e. a 300 ml cream is enough for … three days. Well, we don’t use these preparations properly. There are even studies that show that by using SPF 50 cream as we do, we achieve SPF 15 protection.

We already know that we have a large influence on the development of skin cancers. How is it with melanoma? Is a lot in our hands here too?

Melanoma comes from many things. From genes, from predisposition, from the environment, from disorders of the immune system. So we do not have influence on everything. But sunscreen is essential in preventing all skin cancers, including melanoma. However, it may happen that the patient complies with the recommendations, but he will develop anyway. You have to remember that melanoma is not only the skin, but also the eye and mucous membranes. This means that photoprotection in his case also means the necessity to put on a hat, sunglasses and protective clothing. And if we apply sunscreen and do it correctly, we still cannot “fry” in the sun with impunity. He simply protects us from burns, but we are still bound by the rules: we do not go out into the sun between 10 am and 16 pm. We cover our eyes and head. If we walk in full sun, wear protective clothing. And let’s check the skin regularly, especially if we have new technologies at our disposal that reliably and easily give us an assessment of whether our skin is healthy. These are habits that should be instilled in us from an early age.

Are you concerned about the condition of your skin? You can buy a test package that includes dermatoscopy and consultation with a dermatologist at Medonet Market.

Also read:

1. 10 symptoms that could be a sign of your developing cancer
2. What is cancer treatment abroad like?
3. Have you noticed such changes on your face? It could be lung cancer

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