The 32-year-old mother of three shares the tiny change she noticed on her back that indicated she had CANCER - as she warned other young Australians to check their skin

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It happens after the DNA in skin cells is damaged (typically by harmful UV rays) and then isn't repaired, triggering mutations that can form malignant tumors.

Causes

• Sonneneinstrahlung: UV- und UVB-Strahlen von Sonne und Solarium sind schädlich für die Haut
• Muttermale: Je mehr Muttermale Sie haben, desto größer ist das Risiko, ein Melanom zu bekommen
• Hauttyp: Hellere Haut hat ein höheres Melanomrisiko
• Haarfarbe: Rothaarige sind stärker gefährdet als andere
• Persönliche Vorgeschichte: Wenn Sie einmal ein Melanom hatten, ist es wahrscheinlicher, dass Sie es erneut bekommen
• Familienanamnese: Wenn frühere Verwandte diagnostiziert wurden, erhöht dies Ihr Risiko

Treatment

• Entfernung des Melanoms:

This can be done by removing the entire section of tumor or by having the surgeon remove the skin layer by layer. When a surgeon removes it layer by layer, it helps them figure out exactly where the cancer stops so they don't have to remove more skin than necessary.

• Hauttransplantation:

The patient may opt for skin grafting if the surgery has left discoloration or a dent.

• Immuntherapie, Bestrahlung oder Chemotherapie:

This is required when the cancer reaches stage III or IV. This means that the cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes or other organs in the body.

prevention

• Verwenden Sie Sonnencreme und verbrennen Sie nicht
• Vermeiden Sie es, sich draußen und in Betten zu bräunen
• Tragen Sie Sonnencreme 30 Minuten, bevor Sie nach draußen gehen, auf
• Halten Sie Neugeborene von der Sonne fern
• Untersuchen Sie Ihre Haut jeden Monat
• Suchen Sie Ihren Arzt jedes Jahr für eine Hautuntersuchung auf

Source: Skin Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Society

The first five letters of the alphabet are a guide to help you recognize the warning signs of melanoma.

A stands for asymmetry.Most melanomas are asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the center of the lesion, the two halves don't fit together, so it looks different from a round to an oval and symmetrical common mole.

B stands for border.Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have jagged or notched edges, while common moles tend to have smoother, more even edges.

C stands for color.Multiple colors are a warning sign. While benign moles are usually a single shade of brown, melanoma can be various shades of brown, tan, or black. The colors red, white or blue may also appear during growth.

D stands for diameter or dark.While it's ideal to detect a melanoma when it's small, it's a warning sign when a lesion is the size of a pencil eraser (about 6 mm or ¼ inch in diameter) or larger. Some experts say it's also important to look for lesions that are darker than others, regardless of size. Rare, amelanotic melanomas are colorless.

E stands for development.Any change in size, shape, color, or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching, or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

Source: skincancer.org