This section is for teenagers and young adults. It is about a type of skin cancer called melanoma.
We also have more information about:
If you're looking for information about melanoma in people of all ages, please see our general melanoma section.
Symptoms of melanoma
When I was brushing my hair I felt a mole behind my ear that was never there before. My brother and sister suggested that I go see my doctor because it was quite big considering that it was new.
This person was diagnosed with malignant melanoma when she was 14.
Melanoma can start with a change in a mole or freckle you already have. Or you might notice a new, strange-looking mole or a dark area of skin that wasn’t there before.
It can be difficult to tell the difference between a melanoma and a normal mole. You can use the following ABCDE checklist to help you.
- Asymmetry - Ordinary moles usually have an even shape all the way round. Melanomas are likely to have an irregular or uneven shape.
- Border - Moles usually have a smooth-looking edge. Melanomas are more likely to have jagged edges.
- Colour - Moles are usually one shade of brown. Melanomas can have different shades of brown mixed with black, red, pink, white or even a blueish tint.
- Diameter - Moles are normally no bigger than the blunt end of a pencil (about 6mm across from one side to the other). Melanomas tend to grow bigger than this.
- Evolving - Changes to a mole could be a sign of melanoma, so look for changes to its size, shape or colour.
See your doctor straight away if you have:
- any of the ABCDE signs
- any unusual marks on your skin that last more than a few weeks
- tingling or itching in a mole
- a crusting or bleeding of a mole
- something growing under a nail, or a new, dark-coloured stripe along part of the nail.
If you’re worried about a mole, make an appointment to see your GP straightaway. Remember – melanoma can be cured when it’s found early.
Causes of melanoma
The main risk factor for melanoma is too much exposure to UV light (radiation) from the sun or from sunbeds or sunlamps. Too much UV light (radiation) damages our skin cells and can cause melanoma.
If you want to look tanned, use fake tan instead of sunbathing and using sunbeds.
Too much sun exposure
Melanoma is getting more common. The main risk is being exposed to intense sunlight without enough sun protection. People are going abroad on sunny holidays more often. But remember - you can get too much sun in the UK when it’s hot. So it’s not just about being on holiday in hot countries.
Using sunbeds increases your chance (risk) of getting a melanoma. The more you use sunbeds and the younger you are when you start, the higher your risk.
Other factors that give you a higher risk of melanoma
If you have any of these factors, you’ll need to be extra careful about your sun exposure, protecting your skin from the sun and not using sunbeds:
Your skin type
If you have fair skin, freckles, blue eyes or fair or red hair, you’ve got a skin type that burns more easily, so you’re at more risk. You’ll need to be really careful about how much sun you get and avoid getting sunburnt.
If your skin is naturally darker (brown or black) then your risk of melanoma is lower, because your skin is more naturally protected against it. But that doesn’t mean you can never get it.
Getting really bad sunburn with blistering, especially if it happens more than once as a child, increases the risk of getting melanoma later on.
It’s really important not to get sunburnt - especially for children.
Having lots of moles and strange-looking moles
Your risk of getting melanoma can be increased by having:
- lots of moles (over 100)
- moles that are unusually big, with an irregular shape and colour.
This can run in some families. It’s not common for these moles to change into melanoma, but it’s important to keep a check on them. You can be shown how to do this at a skin clinic, which your GP can send you to.
Having a very large, dark, hairy mole from birth also increases the risk of getting melanoma. People with a mole like this should have regular skin checks at a skin clinic.
Having close relatives with melanoma
Having two or more close relatives (parents, brothers or sisters) with melanoma increases your risk.
This may be because you share the same skin type. But occasionally melanoma happens because there’s a faulty gene in the family. Genes carry the information that's passed on (inherited) from our parents.
People with a weakened immune system are at more risk of getting melanoma. The immune system fights infection and disease, and it can become weaker after an organ transplant or in someone with HIV.
If you’re at risk of getting melanoma because of a weakened immune system, your GP can send you to a skin clinic where you’ll be shown how to check your skin.
If you're worried about melanoma
If you think you might have some of these symptoms you should go straight to your GP. They'll be able to talk to you about your symptoms. If they think these could be because of cancer, they will do some tests to find out more or refer you to a specialist straight away.