A doctor has taken to TikTok to reveal the type of mole that causes concern among medical professionals. Dr Michael, known as @drmichaelsays on TikTok, shared: “There is a certain type of skin cancer that will give most doctors sleepless nights and I’m going to tell you why.”
He clarified that when discussing melanoma, doctors often advise looking for new moles or changes in existing ones within three to six months. However, many people only watch for typical brown moles, unaware that they can also appear pink or red.
The NHS says: “Moles are small, coloured spots on the skin. Most people have them and they’re usually nothing to worry about unless they change size, shape or colour.”
When it comes to what’s normal and what is not, they note it is normal for:
- babies to be born with moles
- new moles to appear – especially in children and teenagers
- moles to fade or disappear as you get older
- moles to get slightly darker during pregnancy
“This is the one that will give doctors sleepless nights and it’s called an amelanotic melanoma and that’s basically a melanoma that is not producing pigment. For whatever reason the DNA in that mole has caused one of the melanocytes to turn into melanoma.”
Saying we do not know the reason it is not producing any pigment, he added: “The reason people don’t do so well with it is because it’s not what they’re looking for and most times when I have seen these types of cancers I’ve taken them out because I thought it was basal cell skin cancer, which is a completely different type of skin cancer.”
Talking about yet more things that worry him, he says: “Here is even scarier part. They are supposed to make up one and 25 of total melanomas. So for every 25 normal melanoma, we should be seeing one amelanotic melanoma. And that is a start that gives me sleepless nights.”
He concluded: “The takeaway is anything that’s on your skin. That’s been there and changed in 3-6 months that you don’t have a good answer for you. Need to get it checked under a microscope. Stay safe and watch your skin.”