This picture was taken in October on Bobby's 40th Birthday. The spot on his cheek had been there since the beginning of summer. It wouldn't heal, it slowly got larger and because it didn't look nice, we finally made an appointment to see his doctor. We never once considered that it was skin cancer. We didn't have the knowledge we do now, it was a hard lesson learned.
This is the spot on his cheek
Melanoma doesn't always look like this, it can have many appearances.
What Is Melanoma?
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. It begins in skin cells called melanocytes.
Melanocytes are the cells that make melanin, which gives skin its color. Melanin also protects the deeper layers of the skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
When people spend time in the sunlight, the melanocytes make more melanin and cause the skin to tan. This also happens when skin is exposed to other forms of ultraviolet light (such as in a tanning booth). If the skin receives too much ultraviolet light, the melanocytes may begin to grow abnormally and become cancerous. This condition is called melanoma.
In men, melanoma most often shows up:
on the upper body, between the shoulders and hips
on the head and neck
In women, melanoma often develops on the lower legs.
In dark-skinned people, melanoma often appears:
under the fingernails or toenails
on the palms of the hands
on the soles of the feet
The chance of getting melanoma increases as you get older, but people of any age can get melanoma. In fact, melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young adults. Each year, more than 50,000 people in the U.S. learn that they have melanoma. There is no safe tan. Any color change from the sun is damage to your skin states The Johns Hopkins Guide to Melanoma: I Have Melanoma: Now What?
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