Blue and white may appear. About one-half of all melanomas arise from an existing mole, but they can also appear as a completely new spot on the skin. Consult your physician if any mole or spot appears suddenly, looks scaly, becomes itchy, painful or tender, or starts to ooze blood. Malignant melanoma is one of three common forms of skin cancer, but not the most common. That distinction belongs to basal cell carcinoma, with about a half million cases reported annually.
Basal cells make up the base of the epidermis, the outermost covering of the body.
Ultraviolet radiation can cause these cells to reproduce too fast, producing a tumorous growth. Basal cell carcinoma usually start as a slow-growing, small, shiny or pearly bump that becomes an open sore taking longer than three weeks to heal. They often bleed, crust over and open to bleed again. The cancer may be an itchy or tender reddish patch that comes and goes. Sometimes it's a pale splotch like a scar, and sometimes it's a circular growth with a raised border and depressed center.