How often do you do a complete skin exam?  For most people the answer is rare to never.     Unfortunately for many patients like Jackie they do not notice the irregularly shaped and colored lesion on their skin until it has already spread to other parts of the body.  Jackie is a patient of mine who discovered a melanoma on the upper right side of her back just next to her armpit.   It “was a fluke as I was putting on deodorant and twisted my body a certain way and “just happened to notice a smudge of dirt”.   Unfortunately as she went to wipe it off she realized it was not in fact dirt.  It was melanoma, a deadly skin cancer.

Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer because it tends to grow down into the body vs spreading out over the skin.  Once it gets into the bloodstream it spreads to other organs.   In Jackie’s case by the time she noticed it it had already spread to her lymph nodes and lung.   After undergoing surgery and treatment she now received scans every 6 months to monitor her progress.  Her next 6 month scan is coming up.

So if you could say a prayer for Jackie I am sure she would appreciate it:  Jackie I hope and pray that your melanoma goes into complete remission and the God heals you of this cancer.  May He provide you with peace and comfort during this challenging time.

The reason why Jackie is using cannabis is because her cancer has caused a lot of anxiety in her life.  She has had difficulty sleeping and just “relaxing when I get home from work.”  She is trying different strains to see which one helps the most with sleep.  She is vaporizing the medicine so she is NOT EXPOSING HER BODY TO ANY MORE SMOKE OR CARCINOGENS.

IF YOU ARE WONDERING IF YOU HAVE A CANCEROUS MOLE ON YOUR BODY HERE ARE SOME RED FLAGS TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR, THE ABCD’S OF MELANOMA:

1. Asymmetric: benign moles tend to be very symmetric in color and shape.   If they are brown they are brown throughout.  If they are round they tend to be uniform.   Melanomas tend to be asymmetrical in shape and color.   One side may have darker pigment than the other.

2. Border irregularities: Normal moles have sharply defined and symmetrical borders.  Melanomas tend to have irregularly shaped borders and have at times there is not a sharp demarcation between normal skin and the border of the cancer.

3. Color: Melanomas tend to have multiple color pigments and darker/lighter shades in the same mole.  Normal benign moles typically have the same consistent color throughout.

4. Diameter: normal moles are smaller than 6 mm in diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser).  Melanoma tend to be larger than 6 mm in diameter.

5. Evolving:  Melanomas tend to evolve or change characteristics over time.   Benign moles tend to stay the same throughout your life.

OK. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION ABOUT A MOLE ON YOUR BODY GO GET IT LOOKED AT ASAP!  THEY NEED TO CHECK EVERYWHERE ON YOUR SKIN…. THAT MEANS EVERYWHERE FROM THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET TO YOUR GLUTEAL CREASE TO YOUR ARMPITS AND GROIN.   MELANOMAS CAN OCCUR IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE NO SUN AT ALL.