Melanoma

• Asymmetry – one half of a mole does not match the other in shape or appearance.
• Border – the edges of a mole are ragged, notched or irregular rather than uniform and even.
• Colour – the mole contains multiple shades or colours.
• Diameter – the lesion is larger than 6mm in diameter, roughly the thickness of a pencil.
• Evolving – any mole or skin lesion that changes in size, shape, texture or colour, or one that begins to bleed, itch, or crust.

• Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) is the most common form of melanoma, accounting for approximately 55-60% of cases.
• It grows horizontally across the surface of the skin before penetrating the deeper layers, making early detection more likely in this phase.
• SSM typically presents as flat, or slightly raised lesions with irregular borders and varying shades of brown, black, red or white.

• Nodular melanoma makes up approximately 10-15% of cases and is most commonly found in people over the age of 65.
• It typically appears as a round, raised nodule on the skin and is usually a shade of dark brown, but can also appear black, red, pink or skin coloured.
• Due to its rapid growth, nodular melanoma requires timely assessment and is more likely to have progressed to an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis.

• Lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) develops from a lentigo maligna,
  a precancerous lesion that grows slowly on the skin for a number of years before becoming invasive.
• LMM is most commonly found on areas of frequently sun-damaged skin such as the face, ears and neck.
• It presents as a large, flat lesion with irregular edges and uneven pigmentation ranging from tan to dark brown.

• Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a rare type of melanoma that develops on less sun-exposed parts of the skin such as the hands, soles of the feet or beneath fingernails and toenails.
• Unlike other forms of melanoma, research suggests that ALM is not directly linked to acute UV exposure.
• ALM presents as a dark patch or streak of discolouration in areas not typically associated with sun damage,
  often leading to delayed diagnosis.

• Amelanotic melanoma accounts for 2–20% of all melanomas and contains little to no pigment.
• Unlike typical melanomas, amelanotic melanoma may appear pink, red or skin coloured rather than dark brown which makes it frequently misdiagnosed.
• Because amelanotic melanoma does not follow the typical ABCDE diagnostic method, it can be more challenging to identify through self-examination alone.
• Professional assessment by a dermatologist is particularly important when amelanotic melanoma is suspected, as it can resemble benign skin conditions such as eczema.

• Desmoplastic melanoma is a rare and unique form of melanoma characterised by its scar-like appearance.
• It most commonly appears on the head and neck in areas of sun-damaged skin, presenting as a firm,
  flesh-coloured nodule.
• Desmoplastic melanoma is often misdiagnosed due to its visual similarity to scars or cysts.

This is usually recommended in order to reduce the risk of the melanoma recurring or spreading to other parts of the skin.
This procedure removes added skin margins surrounding the melanoma. However,
the amount of skin varies depending on the width and depth of the tumour. Most wide local excisions are closed with stitches,
but in some cases a skin graft or skin flap will be used.

This is a fairly simple procedure involving the removal of a suspected melanoma or mole.
A local anaesthetic is usually administered and the wound can be closed with a few stitches. The skin that is removed is then sent for histopathological examination,
that will assess the tumour progression, the depth and the chances of the cancer spreading.

This is where the melanoma has spread to the sentinel nodes in regional node groups such as the armpit, neck or groin.
The melanoma can linger here before spreading to organs. This treatment usually involves removing all the nodes in the invaded area.

When a biopsy or wide local excision is too big for stitches, it results in removing skin from another part of the body in order to cover the wound.

This involves lifting and moving skin over the wound without the skin being cut away.