acral melanoma fear [Archive]

Dimdim101

13-12-18, 12:42

I've had 2 freckles on the sole of my foot for as long as I can remember (probably born with them) and they are the same as always, but last year I had a new one appear just above the others. It looks very similar, but is just a bit smaller and looks deeper I guess - this is also something that worries me a bit, although I think it's just because the skin in that area of the foot is very thick so it appears to be under many layers of skin. Anyway, it's been there for about a year (if not more) with no changes, and i was worrying it could be acral melanoma. However, this cancer is very aggressive, so I assume even if it was in the early stages, after a year it would at least somewhat change, even slightly. I'm obviously prone to these freckles on the sole of the foot so it may be normal for me, and I've seen photos of acral melanoma and they they are all quite dark in colour, whereas the new freckle is a much lighter shade of brown. It is also quite rare so even more unlikely.
The new one also appeared after summer - lots of time at the beach/pool, and I guess when you are lying down at the beach the soles of your feet are exposed, so it could just be that?
If anyone has seen what acral melanoma looks like, does this sound like it?

RadioGaGa

13-12-18, 13:07

From my melanoma fear days I was always told that the 'ugly duckling' sign catches more melanomas than the ABCDE criteria.

Basically if you have a mole which is SIGNIFICANTLY different and has no similarities to anything anywhere else on your body, you need to get it checked.

Your new mole sounds as if it's very similar to an existing mole. Therefore I woukdnt worry.

Of course only someone examining you in real life can say for sure

Good luck

bin tenn

13-12-18, 13:18

Dimdim101

14-12-18, 05:24

Thank you :) Yes, I can imagine that if I went to the dermatologist he would just say to keep an eye on it and I'd just need to monitor it anyway.

Does it seem like an issue because it appears 'deeper' than the others, or is that just because its in a part of the foot with much thicker skin (near the toes)?

Since it's a freckle it's under the skin, not raised and looks completely harmless - the only issue I have is the location of it but I forget that during summer and lying down the soles of the feet are exposed to the sun and like any part of the body freckles/moles can appear.

Dimdim101

26-10-19, 15:19

So I have a few moles at the bottom of my foot that I like to keep an eye on. However, today when I looked, I noticed something on the OTHER foot. It looked like some small green dot, under the skin of the sole of the foot. It was like there was something stuck there. So I used a needle and I broke through the top layer of the skin, and I ended up getting it out - it turns out it was reddish brown in colour and the texture was kind of like a ‘crust’ when you cut yourself (but since it was under the top layer of skin and joined in a sphere type of shape I’m confused what it was). It didn’t help that when I finally got it out it had pretty much broken up into a crumbly texture.

Is this what acral melanoma is like? I looked at pictures online, even of early stages, and they all seem to be like moles but very dark (almost black), and it’s as if they are part of the skin (so they aren’t really ‘under’ it and so they can’t really be dug out like I did... it seems more like you have to cut a whole chunk of skin out that the melanoma covers to really get rid of it).

I’m freaking out! Does it seem like it could be acral melanoma?

NancyW

26-10-19, 15:27

I wonder if you stepped on something and got a little splinter in your foot.

You might not have even realized it.

nomorepanic

26-10-19, 16:00

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.

Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.

It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.

Dimdim101

26-10-19, 17:46

I wonder if you stepped on something and got a little splinter in your foot.

You might not have even realized it.

Yeah that’s what I’m hoping! The only thing is that when it came out it didn’t really look like a ‘foreign body’ type of thing eg glass, splinter. It looked more like something my body had produced (but this could also be in reaction to stepping on something, no clue). I guess if it was sinister it would ‘grow back’ so I have to play the waiting game now :/

Dimdim101

27-10-19, 01:19

So does this sound worrying? I feel like you can’t dig out a mole like that but I feel so scared

Sparky16

27-10-19, 01:36

Sure doesn't sound like a mole at all. More like some kind of foreign body or like a wart. Sometimes warts bleed a little under the skin.

Dimdim101

27-10-19, 05:39

Definitely not a wart...when I got it out there was no blood either. But would you really be able to dig out a melanoma wart like that or would it require more like taking a chunk of your skin out? As when I got through the top layer of skin I could remove the 'stuff' (It kind of seemed like it was attached to the surrounding skin but that may have just been because it was tightly stuck in there, and when I pushed it up and out it came out and kind of crumbled away).

I know acral melanoma is also super rare, especially in the white population, so I really should relax but I'm finding it so hard...

WiseMonkey

27-10-19, 06:44

So does this sound worrying? I feel like you can’t dig out a mole like that but I feel so scared

Just get it checked out by your Dr.

I've had a few suspicious moles/freckles due to lots of sun in my younger years (and my Celtic skin) and my Dr wasn't sure so sent me to a dermatologist. He looked at them and said they were fine. Living in Aust/NZ, we have to keep on top of these things due to the intensity of our solar rays, I have a complete body check once a year from the same dermatologist and anything else that comes up in the in-between-time gets checked too. :)

Dimdim101

27-10-19, 07:03

Just get it checked out by your Dr.

I've had a few suspicious moles/freckles due to lots of sun in my younger years (and my Celtic skin) and my Dr wasn't sure so sent me to a dermatologist. He looked at them and said they were fine. Living in Aust/NZ, we have to keep on top of these things due to the intensity of our solar rays, I have a complete body check once a year from the same dermatologist and anything else that comes up in the in-between-time gets checked too. :)

I removed it though so the Dr will have nothing to actually look at :/ Also the cause of acral melanoma is unknown...not even to do with UV rays apparently!

WiseMonkey

27-10-19, 07:17

I removed it though so the Dr will have nothing to actually look at :/ Also the cause of acral melanoma is unknown...not even to do with UV rays apparently!

Geez! I never play/pick at freckles or moles, it's not a wise thing to do! You will have to wait and see if it appears again I guess :doh:

Dimdim101

27-10-19, 07:24

Geez! I never play/pick at freckles or moles, it's not a wise thing to do! You will have to wait and see if it appears again I guess :doh:

That's the thing, I don't think it was a freckle or mole! It looked like something that became trapped under the skin which is why I kind of 'dug' it out and it came out pretty easily once I got through the top layer of skin, so again doesn't seem like a mole or freckle as I know if they come off they usually bleed!

Dimdim101

28-10-19, 00:24

I feel a bit worried now following WiseMonkey's response... now I feel like I have to check it constantly to see if it is regrowing. If it was nothing it won't regrow? But apparently melanoma can't really just be 'scraped off' so it really seems okay right?

Sparky16

28-10-19, 02:28

It can't really be scraped off, no. The best way to answer your questions would be to talk to your doctor. They would probably have a much more educated guess about what you are describing than we can make.