› Forums › General Melanoma Community › New Brown Spot
- This topic has 6 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 9 months ago by
Totally Blessed.
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- November 18, 2016 at 9:21 pm
I know that all new spots need to get checked out and I plan to do that but in the meantime, am just hoping to get some opinions and knowledge based on this terrible disease.
History – I have not had a melanoma but had a BCC removed in my 20's. Due to that and family history of melanoma, I go for skin checks every six months. Have had moles removed and a couple come back as atypical but thankfully, nothing else.
Given this, I check my skin often. This morning, I noticed a brown "patch" / spot / area, on my upper back, I estimate it be a good 1-1.5 inches long. It doesn't look like a mole, of which I have a fair number or like anything else on my skin. I am 99% certain it wasnt there just a couple of days ago! It has very defined edges from where the browness is separated from my normal skin color. It's rectangular shape and almost looks like a burn mark from something hot, however I wasnt burned with anything there.
My question is, can melanoma go from entirely non visible, nothing on the skin to something that large and clearly visable, essentially overnight? Or does a "new" spot usually start small and then grow from there?
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- November 18, 2016 at 9:39 pm
No one can answer that question for you. We can give you "in general" statements. Most types of melanoma are slow growing but not all. My cutaneous oncologist has a 6 week rule. If it doesn't start looking better on its own accord in that time, it's time to remove. If I'm really concerned about something, I will push the envelope on that. Given the fact that this doesn't present as a normal mole, I'd be inclined to see if it continues to get worse or improves. At the least, I'd photograph it now so that comparison is easier to make. That is me. I'm not an alarmist despite having 3 melanoma primaries.
The only answer we can give you for certain here is if it concerns you, see your derm. No one can diagnose from a picture or a description, only a biopsy can diagnose.
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- November 18, 2016 at 9:39 pm
No one can answer that question for you. We can give you "in general" statements. Most types of melanoma are slow growing but not all. My cutaneous oncologist has a 6 week rule. If it doesn't start looking better on its own accord in that time, it's time to remove. If I'm really concerned about something, I will push the envelope on that. Given the fact that this doesn't present as a normal mole, I'd be inclined to see if it continues to get worse or improves. At the least, I'd photograph it now so that comparison is easier to make. That is me. I'm not an alarmist despite having 3 melanoma primaries.
The only answer we can give you for certain here is if it concerns you, see your derm. No one can diagnose from a picture or a description, only a biopsy can diagnose.
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- November 19, 2016 at 1:58 am
I would say that anything that causes you to wonder should be checked. Better safe than sorry. My husband was diagnosed with nodular melanoma a year ago, had WLE and nodes removed — all went well. For the past 3 visits over the last year he's had BCC removed each time. We were at the Dermatologist this past Wednesday and they removed 2 more suspicious spots. Missed the doctors call yesterday, closed today so we wait till Monday for path report. The doctor impressed upon us the importance of coming in for a spot check in between his scheduled visits if there's any concern over new spots. I really impress on you the same. Go get checked if there's even a little question in your mind. 🙂
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- November 19, 2016 at 1:58 am
I would say that anything that causes you to wonder should be checked. Better safe than sorry. My husband was diagnosed with nodular melanoma a year ago, had WLE and nodes removed — all went well. For the past 3 visits over the last year he's had BCC removed each time. We were at the Dermatologist this past Wednesday and they removed 2 more suspicious spots. Missed the doctors call yesterday, closed today so we wait till Monday for path report. The doctor impressed upon us the importance of coming in for a spot check in between his scheduled visits if there's any concern over new spots. I really impress on you the same. Go get checked if there's even a little question in your mind. 🙂
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- November 19, 2016 at 1:58 am
I would say that anything that causes you to wonder should be checked. Better safe than sorry. My husband was diagnosed with nodular melanoma a year ago, had WLE and nodes removed — all went well. For the past 3 visits over the last year he's had BCC removed each time. We were at the Dermatologist this past Wednesday and they removed 2 more suspicious spots. Missed the doctors call yesterday, closed today so we wait till Monday for path report. The doctor impressed upon us the importance of coming in for a spot check in between his scheduled visits if there's any concern over new spots. I really impress on you the same. Go get checked if there's even a little question in your mind. 🙂
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- November 18, 2016 at 9:39 pm
No one can answer that question for you. We can give you "in general" statements. Most types of melanoma are slow growing but not all. My cutaneous oncologist has a 6 week rule. If it doesn't start looking better on its own accord in that time, it's time to remove. If I'm really concerned about something, I will push the envelope on that. Given the fact that this doesn't present as a normal mole, I'd be inclined to see if it continues to get worse or improves. At the least, I'd photograph it now so that comparison is easier to make. That is me. I'm not an alarmist despite having 3 melanoma primaries.
The only answer we can give you for certain here is if it concerns you, see your derm. No one can diagnose from a picture or a description, only a biopsy can diagnose.
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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