This information is currently under review
This information has been reviewed by:
Professor John Kelly, Dermatologist
Use the links above and text below to learn more about melanoma, or download a pdf of our latest melanoma booklet below.
The skin has many important functions. It protects us from injury, cools us when we get too hot and prevents us from becoming dehydrated.
The skin has two main layers. The top layer is called the epidermis. This layer contains, among other things, melanocytes-cells that produce melanin, the substance that gives skin its colour. The layer underneath the epidermis is called the dermis. The dermis contains the roots of hairs, glands which make sweat and oil, blood and lymph vessels and nerves.
Like all body tissues, the skin is made of tiny ‘building blocks' called cells. These cells can sometimes become cancerous, for example under the influence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
The epidermis contains three different types of cells: squamous cells, basal cells and melanocytes. Skin cancers are named after the type of cell they start from. The three main types of skin cancer are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and-the most serious skin cancer-melanoma.
Melanoma develops from melanocytes (pigment cells).
Melanoma usually occurs on parts of the body that have been sunburned. However, melanomas can sometimes start in parts of the skin or other parts of the body that have never been exposed to the sun.
If detected early, most melanomas are curable. If they are not detected until later, they can become more serious. A melanoma may appear as a new spot on normal skin, or develop from an existing mole.
Melanomas usually begin as a flat spot that changes in size or shape or colour over months. While they remain flat they are generally curable. They usually remain flat for six to 12 months. Later, melanomas become bigger, irregular in shape and often darker in colour.
A less common type of melanoma (called nodular melanoma) is not flat, but is raised from the start. These melanomas are often pink or red, and grow quickly. Not all melanomas are dark or black in colour.
Melanoma and other skin cancers generally develop because of too much UV radiation from the sun and other sources. Melanoma is not contagious: you can't ‘catch' it from someone else.
People can be at greater risk of melanoma if they have one or more of the following:
Each time your unprotected skin is exposed to the sun's UV radiation or other sources of UV radiation such as solariums, the UV radiation causes changes to take place in the structure of the cells and in what they do. Too much UV radiation causes the skin to become permanently damaged. The damage worsens with more UV radiation.
The most important years for sun protection are during childhood. Sunburn and overexposure to UV radiation during these years greatly increase the chance of melanoma.
Melanoma is common in people with naturally fair complexions who are exposed to higher levels of UV radiation than their skin can protect them against. People with naturally darker skins (for example, Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders) are much better protected against UV radiation but can still get melanomas.
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. Each year over 2000 people in Victoria are diagnosed with melanoma.
Melanoma is diagnosed most often in older adults, but it also sometimes occurs in younger adults and occasionally in teenagers. It is rarely seen in children.
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Melanoma: a guide for people with melanoma, their families and friends |
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