Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that develops in the cells producing melanin, the pigment that colors your skin. When people notice skin changes, they often search for specific signs. This article clarifies common misunderstandings about melanoma’s appearance, specifically addressing whether pus is a typical characteristic.
Understanding Melanoma’s Appearance
Melanoma appears as a new spot or a change in an existing mole. Healthcare professionals use the “ABCDE” rule to identify suspicious lesions. This rule helps individuals remember common characteristics of melanoma.
Asymmetry means one half of the mole does not match the other. A benign mole is symmetrical, meaning both sides would look similar if a line were drawn through it. Border irregularity means the edges are ragged, notched, or blurred, unlike the smooth borders of most benign moles. Color variation indicates uneven coloring, with shades of black, brown, tan, and sometimes white, gray, red, pink, or blue.
Diameter refers to the size of the mole; melanomas are larger than 6 millimeters, roughly the size of a pencil eraser. While this is a general guideline, any mole growth should be evaluated. The “E” in ABCDE stands for Evolving, meaning the mole has changed over weeks or months in size, shape, color, or other characteristics like itching or tenderness. This evolution indicates a mole warrants medical attention.
Pus and Skin Lesions: What It Means
Pus is a thick, yellowish, whitish, or greenish fluid that forms as part of the body’s immune response to an infection. It is composed of dead white blood cells, dead tissue, and dead bacteria or fungi. The presence of pus in a skin lesion signals an underlying infection or inflammation.
Common causes for pus in skin lesions include bacterial infections, such as boils, folliculitis (infected hair follicles), or impetigo. It can also occur in conditions like acne, where pus collects in pimples or pustules. While melanoma is a type of skin cancer, pus is not a typical characteristic of the cancer itself.
A melanoma can become secondarily infected, meaning an infection develops on top of the cancerous lesion. In such cases, pus would be a sign of the infection, not the melanoma directly. Any skin lesion that produces pus, or any concerning skin change, should be evaluated by a healthcare professional. This ensures proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment for infections and potentially serious conditions like melanoma.