In the video, Dr. O’Bryen, who regularly publishes content on his Tiktok account SkincancerDoCTOR, Watch what he fell on by examining the skin of a patient recently came to consult him. We see a slightly raised round and red lesion there but which turns out to be deep when looking at the dermoscope (tool composed of a magnifying lens and a light).
Nodular melanoma, responsible for half of the deaths linked to melanoma
What the dermatologist was observing was a nodular melanoma, the second type of melanoma most frequent after the extensive superficial melanoma. It represents approximately 15 to 20 % of all melanomas but it is responsible for around 50 % of the deaths linked to melanoma.
“A man came to see me last week, worried about a new size on his arm. She was red and gets bigger”explains the dermatologist. Grosy in the dermatoscope, the lesion was actually pink and white. The skin cancer specialist clarified that she was measuring 4 mm on the thickness scale of Breslow, used to measure the depth of a melanoma.
The image under the microscope also revealed white lines and vessels of different shapes. This type of cancer is very dangerous because it “grows quickly and is very deadly”, Alerts Dr. O’Bryen.
Awareness of the unknown symptoms of melanoma
Nodular melanomas deeply descend into the skin. They come in the form of a raised mass and can have the appearance of a fungus with a rod or a head. The cancerous lesion is most often black but it happens that it is red, pink or the same color as the skin.
They generally appear on the face, the chest or the back.
By publishing this video, the Australian doctor wanted to raise awareness of the often unknown symptoms of melanoma. No, they are not all in the form of freckles or “bizarre” beauty grains.
Dr. O’Bryen said that he made an excisional biopsy to withdraw the lesion and that he sent the patient to a surgeon specializing in melanoma and a medical oncologist.
How to reduce the risk of melanoma?
The best way to reduce the risk of melanoma is protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun:
- Always apply sunscreen before exposing yourself (50 protection index);
- Avoid exposing yourself to the hottest hours (between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.);
- Cover your arms and legs;
- Wear sunglasses that protect against UV rays and a wide -edge hat;
- Avoid using artificial tanning devices (solar lamps, tanning cabins).
Consult your general practitioner or a dermatologist if you notice a mole or an abnormal lesion on your skin (change of size, color, appearance, lesion that does not heal …).