Learn Your ABCDs

By K.L. Perrins, RPh

The American Academy of Dermatology has published a handout describing the signs of melanoma. It is titled, "The A,B,C,Ds of Skin Cancer." It urges all of us to stop and look for danger signs in the pigmented lesions of the skin which we call moles.

First comes "A", for asymmetry. Typically, one-half of the mole is different from the other half, especially in color. One-half may be light brown, whereas the other half may be a much darker brown, or even black. The two halves may also have much different shapes, so that they look like two moles growing into each other.

Next comes "B", for border irregularity. This mole may be quite dark or black in appearance, with a scalloped or poorly defined border. It could best be described as having the shape of a little black cloud with several bulges and protrusions along its border.

Then comes "C", for color variation from one area to another. The colors involved may include tan and brown, or a band of black, white, red or blue stretching from one border to the other.

Finally comes "D", for diameter. Any mole with a diameter larger than 6 mm, which is about the diameter of a pencil eraser, should be considered suspect.

The handout concludes with the statement, "Mind these ABDCs. They may be signs of malignant melanomas." If you do discover lesions that fit the above descriptions, consult your dermatologist immediately. Time is of the essence! Only a trained physician, usually a dermatologist, can decide for sure if the mole is malignant.