Q. Is this growing spot on my face a young melanoma?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I saw your clinical pictures (attachment removed to protect patient identity). In your recent picture, the lesion looks like seborrheic keratosis (harmless), it looks rough and raised. I cannot confirm what it is with this picture. I am sorry dear, the picture becomes little blurry when I try to zoom it, to appreciate finer features. I am very sure your dermatologist would have looked at the spot with adermoscope. With dermoscopy, the dermatologist can make out abnormal changes that are concerning. Even if it is doubtful feature leaning towards melanoma, your dermatologist would have done a shave biopsy to rule out that minimal possibility. After cryotherapy, the area becomes dark, it scabs and falls off after five to seven days.

I can understand your concern as you had a melanoma in situ removed recently. Observe the treated spot for another week, allow the spot to heal completely. After a week, if you feel it is still there, then you can undergo shave biopsy which would say precisely what it is.

Regards.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Let me address all your concerns, one by one. Can a seborrheic keratosis appear so quickly? (Few months) - Yes, it can appear over few weeks to months. These are also called age spots usually seen in adults and elderly, very harmless. I mentioned seborrheic keratosis because it was appearing raised, and little rough in that picture.

I have other similar looking spots on my face, but they are not rough or raised. Is it normal for a spot like this to be different like that than the others? Lentigines or sun spots, freckles are very common in fair type 2 skin people. If the spot is constantly under friction like rubbing, wearing eyeglasses, with pressure on those spots, it can become slightly thick and appear raised.

If it is a melanoma in early stages, will it still appear that way on a biopsy even if it was previously frozen? A pathologist will be able to see cancerous features even after cryotherapy if the spot is still there. After the biopsy, if there are no cancer cells that means it was not a melanoma or it is totally gone. There are staining methods where they can find even the slightest cancerous change in the tissue. A pathologist will be very cautious while seeing the biopsy if the history of previous melanoma has been provided to him.

Melanoma in situ is the early stage cancer, they have caught it and removed it with wide surgical excision. It is good to be cautious about any similar spots, new moles, changes in the existing mole, like:

A- Asymmetry, B- Border changes/Bleeding, C- Color change (darkening), D- Diameter changes (enlarging).

I can make a clinical diagnosis with what appears on this picture, but any cancerous feature needs to confirmed by biopsy. Allow a week to pass, so that it heals. See if the spot is still there. If yes, then you can go for shave biopsy (minimal pigmentation/scar from shave biopsy).

Hope I have answered your concerns to the best of my knowledge.

Same symptoms doesn’t mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Ashwini. V. Swamy

Experience: 10 + Yrs

Venereology

---

Related Questions:
What is a benign mole?

.. descriptions, it seems that you are having a mole with secondary infections. If you can send pictures of this, then it will be better for me to suggest diagnosis, treatment and alleviate your anxiety.   Read full

One of my moles has raised. Should I get them checked?

Hi doctor, I have a couple of moles that have changed recently ... The larger round mole is on my back of about 5 mm in diameter ...   Read full

Could you look at my mole and give your suggestion?

Hi doctor,I have a mole that has grown a lot and has changed its shape and color ... I have taken a few good images showing the mole close and the various blood vessels, which are running though   Read full