Avoid UV radiation during the sun’s peak hours (10:00am to 4:00pm) beginning at birth.If you wear nail polish, remove it occasionally so that you can inspect the skin underneath the toenails.Inspect all areas of the feet daily, including the soles, underneath toenails and between the toes.Be sure to apply sunscreen on the soles as well as the tops of feet. Use adequate sunscreen in areas that are unprotected by clothing or shoes.Wear water shoes or shoes and socks-flip flops do not provide protection!.Precautions to avoid getting melanoma of the foot and ankle, as well as general precautions, include: Prevention & Early DetectionĮveryone should practice strategies that can help prevent melanoma, or at least aid in early detection, so that early treatment can be undertaken. If a biopsy is performed and it reveals melanoma, the surgeon will discuss a treatment plan. The surgeon will also examine the spot to determine whether a biopsy is necessary. For example: Is the spot old or new? Have you noticed any changes in size or color? If so, how rapidly has this change occurred? To diagnose melanoma, the foot and ankle surgeon will ask the patient a few questions. It is also essential to see a surgeon if there is discoloration of any size underneath a toenail (unless the discoloration was caused by trauma, such as stubbing a toe or having something fall on it). If any of these signs are present on the foot, it is important to see a foot and ankle surgeon right away. A spot that is larger than 5 millimeters (the size of a pencil eraser) is cause for concern. The border, or edge, is typically ragged, notched or blurred.Ĭolor - Melanoma is typically a mix of colors or hues, rather than a single, solid color.ĭiameter - Melanoma grows in diameter, whereas moles remain small. There are four signs-known as the ABCDs of melanoma-to look for when self-inspecting moles and other spots on the body:Īsymmetry - Melanoma is usually asymmetric, which means one half is different in shape from the other half.īorder - Border irregularity often indicates melanoma. However, not all areas of discoloration on the skin are melanoma. Melanoma usually looks like a spot on the skin that is predominantly brown, black, or blue, although in some cases, it can be mostly red or even white. Melanoma can occur anywhere on the skin, even in areas of the body not exposed to the sun. Numerous moles, especially if they appeared at a young age.
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