Many people wear sunscreen because they want to protect their skin and keep its healthy appearance. But what are they protecting against? What is melanoma and why is it so dangerous?

Melanoma is a type of cancer that most frequently occurs in the cells that color the skin, hair and eyes and are heavily concentrated in most moles (melanocytes). These melanocytes produce the pigment melanin and are most often color moles black or brown. The word melanoma means “black tumor.” It is a more serious type of cancer than other common skin cancers because it can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body through the lymph system or the blood. It is the leading cause of all skin cancer-related deaths. In fact it is the eighth most common malignancy in the United States.

The first sign of melanoma is often a change in the size, shape, or color of a mole, but melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. Any change, including oozing or bleeding, or feeling different — tender, itchy, or hard — should be brought to the attention of your doctor (2).

There are four basic types of melanoma: superficial spreading melanoma, lentigo maligna,acral lentiginous melanoma and nodular melanoma. Superficial spreading melanoma is the most common type occurring in seventy percent of all cases.It is usually flat or slightly raised with irregular borders, much like spilled coffee. Usually this type stays on the top layer of the skin for a fairly long time. Lentigo maligna is most often found in elderly patients and also stays on the upper levels of the skin for a long time. Acral lentiginous melanoma is most common in African-Americans and Asians. It usually appears as dark discoloration under the nails or on the soles of the feet or palms of the hands. Nodular melanoma is the hardest to detect and is usually spread to deep layers of the skin at first diagnosis. This usually recognized when it has grown into a bump, most often darkly colored (9).