Resolved question:
Hello,
I'm a 25 year old male medical student. I was studying earlier this evening when I noticed this abnormal discoloration on my stomach. It's been there for some time but it looks to have grown recently. This normally would not concern me, however my mother was diagnosed with a benign form of melanoma on her right leg. I do not want to go the ER since it will be embarrassing if it turns out to be something small. I will attach an image of the area in question. Please advise if I should be freaking out right now or not... If so I will go to the ER. Thanks!
PS: it is not bumpy but on the picture it looks like it is bumpy... I don't really know what to make of that.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Dermatologist
Hello
Thanks for posting your query at DoctorSpring.com
I can understand your concern.
This could be a melanoma. Its difficult to say without actually seeing it with a dermatoscope or doing a biopsy.
I would recommend that you get a dermatoscopy done for the lesion from your doctor. You can meet a dermatologist at the earliest in his office hours. After the dermatoscopy the doctor will decide whether to do the biopsy or not.
Please let me know if you have any queries.
Regards.
Does it meet the basic criteria for melanoma? In terms of visualization and physical characteristics? Based on your dermatological expierience.
Hello ,
Thanks for posting your reply.
Yes it does. Variation in colour. It meets the c criteria from abcde criteria . Hence i recommended dermatoscopy and biopsy.
Hope this helps, please feel free to discuss further.
Thanks
So based on your experience, does this look like it could be malignant or benign? Obviously I will not hold you to it but in your professional (speculative) expierience based on your practice, does this look serious?
The picture you have posted is of an atypical mole. This would need an investigation from your dermatologist.
The dermatologist would examine it under a dermatoscope and if then required would do a biopsy from the lesion to check whether it's a melanoma or not.
I would like to give you some information regarding moles.
A new or changing mole or blemish is the most common warning sign for melanoma. Variation in color and/or an increase in diameter, height, or asymmetry of borders of a pigmented lesion are noted.
Symptoms such as bleeding, itching, ulceration, and pain in a pigmented lesion also warrant an evaluation.
ABCDE criteria for a changing mole, which are as follows:
Asymmetry: Half the lesion does not match the other half.
Border irregularity: The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred.
Color variegation: Pigmentation is not uniform and may display shades of tan, brown, or black; white, reddish, or blue discoloration is of particular concern.
Diameter: A diameter greater than 6 mm is characteristic, although some melanomas may have smaller diameters; any growth in a nevus warrants an evaluation.
Evolving: Changes in the lesion over time are characteristic.
Lesions exhibiting these features should be considered potential melanoma.
In your case, I could see a colour variation and hence i advised it to be investigated further.
Please let me know if you have any queries.
Regards.