Melanoma, also known as black tumor, is a type of skin cancer that starts from the melanocyte cells and eventually spreads to other parts of the body. Most of these cancerous cells are black or brown in color due to the presence of melanocytes.
However, there are also times when the cells stop producing the coloring pigment and are therefore pink, red or purple in color. The cancer can affect any part of the body. While men are prone to this cancer in and around their trunk, women are likely to develop them around the legs and arms.
In the following section, we will give you a detailed insight on everything that you wanted to know about melanoma.
6People with more risks
Although anyone can develop skin cancer or melanoma, usually people who have had melanoma earlier have a possibility of developing it again.
Other than that, individuals with fair skin, blonde or red hair, freckles, blue eyes and pimples can also develop melanoma. This cancer is also widely observed in people who have a history of consistent exposure to the sun. This includes tans, taking sunburns and similar other things at the time of their youth.
This is also particularly relevant for people who have extensively taken tans. People with more than one moles (atypical moles), people with a genetic history of skin cancer and people with a relatively weaker immune system can also develop melanoma. Although malignant melanoma is relatively more common among the Caucasians, it can always occur in people of almost all skin types.
Non-white people usually experience melanoma, because their skin contains less pigment. For such people, it is likely to develop around the palms, mucous membrane, sole and nail. Although in most cases, melanoma happens to be inherent, there are also many situations where you can control or restrain yourself from indulging in activities that are likely to increase the risk of melanoma.
