What is melanoma skin cancer?

Posted by: lclare - Posted on:

  1. What is melanoma skin cancer?
  2. Symptoms
  3. Causes
  4. Tests and next steps
  5. Treatment
  6. Help and support
  • Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body.
  • The main cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light, which comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.
  • Things that increase your chances of getting melanoma include your age and having pale skin, a large number of moles and a family history of skin cancer.
  • It’s often possible to prevent skin cancer by being careful in the sun – for example, by using sunscreen and reapplying it regularly.
  • How melanoma is treated depends on where it is, if it has spread to other areas of your body and your general health. Surgery is the main treatment.

Information:

There’s another type of skin cancer called non-melanoma skin cancer. It’s more common and usually less serious than melanoma.

Important:Get your symptoms checked

It’s important to get any symptoms of melanoma skin cancer checked as soon as possible.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/melanoma-skin-cancer