Does this look like skin cancer?!

[Meghansherf 8]

Hey guys. So I’ve noticed this spot on my leg for over a month now that hasn’t gone away. It’s flat. But my left leg has been sore for no reason for about 2 weeks. Does this look like possible skin cancer? 

[sTeaLth 238]

9 minutes ago, Meghansherf said:

Hey guys. So I’ve noticed this spot on my leg for over a month now that hasn’t gone away. It’s flat. But my left leg has been sore for no reason for about 2 weeks. Does this look like possible skin cancer? 

Doesn’t look like any I’ve seen. I have several family members who have had it and it looked nothing like this. One big rule of thumb, if it isn’t rapidly changing... it’s  probably nothing cancer related. 

[Meghansherf 8]

Thank you for replying! I’ve just been slightly concerned. 

[Itsjustme05000 3]

No, not at all. 

[Meghansherf 8]

It feels like I cut it with a razor it’s a little rigid feeling 

[clearhead 129]

Doesn’t fit the three criteria for melanoma. Border, size and color.

[Meriland 5]

Melanoma grows and starts around >5mm, is (usually) dark, and irregular in shape. Yours doesn't fit any of the criteria...it hardly looks even 2mm wide. Freckles and moles pop up sometimes, it isnt a big deal unless it changes and follows the ABCDE rule.

[mollyfin 366]

I literally can't tell what I'm supposed to be looking at.  I would be shocked if you have any problems with your skin based on that photo.

If you don't already get yearly skin checks, now is the time to start - you'll have less to worry about and you'll be doing something proactive for your health.  

[Iugrad91 501]

4 hours ago, mollyfin said:

I literally can't tell what I'm supposed to be looking at.  I would be shocked if you have any problems with your skin based on that photo.

If you don't already get yearly skin checks, now is the time to start - you'll have less to worry about and you'll be doing something proactive for your health.  

I thought the same thing. If I took a pic of my arm/leg like that there would be probably 10 or more spots darker than that. I have lots of brown spots, and my doc checks them every year.

[Ethansmom 39]

nope. It looks like a mole or something. NOT cancer.

[MARC 431]

I had basal cell carcinoma on my nose 10 years ago and my co-worker had in-situ melanoma around 7 years ago and your skin issue looks nothing like either one. However, I am not a physician and if it concerns you, the best place to go is a dermatologist. 

[Jae 211]

It's a beauty mark 🙂

[MARC 431]

I get checked every 6 months because of my basal cell carcinoma. It is best to get checked by a dermatologist and then based on what they see, they can determine a baseline for the timeline of future visits. Mine and my co-workers skin cancer was removed by a Moh's surgeon. My Moh's surgeon is very well known and respected. Skin cancer is no joke. I remember going into the surgeons office and while I was talking to him, I asked him to look at some other spots and he said they all looked OK. I then apologized to him for maybe being paranoid about asking him to look over the other spots. What he said in response to me I will never forget for the rest of my life. He said to me, your not being paranoid at all. In fact being a little paranoid is good as it may one day save your life. 

[bin_tenn 1252]

4 minutes ago, MARC said:

I get checked every 6 months because of my basal cell carcinoma. It is best to get checked by a dermatologist and then based on what they see, they can determine a baseline for the timeline of future visits. Mine and my co-workers skin cancer was removed by a Moh's surgeon. My Moh's surgeon is very well known and respected. Skin cancer is no joke. I remember going into the surgeons office and while I was talking to him, I asked him to look at some other spots and he said they all looked OK. I then apologized to him for maybe being paranoid about asking him to look over the other spots. What he said in response to me I will never forget for the rest of my life. He said to me, your not being paranoid at all. In fact being a little paranoid is good as it may one day save your life. 

That's true. The hard part, however, is knowing when it's reasonable to be paranoid and when it isn't, when you have anxiety. Anxiety distorts reality, it distorts our perception (mental and even visual). Good advice regardless.

[ConstantWorrying 8]

No.

If it is, it's so early that it can't be diagnosed anyway. 

[MARC 431]

Biopsy would diagnose. 

[ConstantWorrying 8]

17 hours ago, MARC said:

Biopsy would diagnose. 

Actually, it wouldn't. Even dermatopathologists can't reliably distinguish between melanoma in situ and a nevus when it's this early. That's where the term, "dysplastic," comes from. It just means the dermatopathologist isn't sure whether it's a nevus or melanoma; not that the lesion is a "pre-cancer" (no such thing). 

[MARC 431]

According to the Moh's surgeon I saw, you are not correct. 

[ConstantWorrying 8]

11 hours ago, MARC said:

According to the Moh's surgeon I saw, you are not correct. 

According to renowned dermatopathologist Harald Kittler, I am. 

[MARC 431]

I am not a physician and can only say what I have been told. My dermatologist told me that nothing in medicine is 0 percent or 100 percent. 

[Zazz 20]

I think generally, a biopsy would be able to tell. Yeah, nothing's 100% (goddamn is that the bane of my existence), but I'd think that 99% of the time, a biopsy should be able to tell. There's specific patterns that the cells show.

That said: new moles can continue to grow for like 3-6 months after they show up. As long as it doesn't change after that time frame, doesn't have irregular boarders, lots of different colors (especially black, but also any mixture with red would be suspicious), or some other concerning symptom (pain, itching, crusting, or bleeding).

A dermatologist should be about to take a look at it (maybe with a magnifier) and be able to make a determination with relative accuracy as to if you should be worried or if it needs to be biopsied.

If a dermatologist isn't concerned, my guess would be that it's totally normal.

[Megan Stubbs 7]

On 2/2/2019 at 6:44 PM, Meghansherf said:

Hey guys. So I’ve noticed this spot on my leg for over a month now that hasn’t gone away. It’s flat. But my left leg has been sore for no reason for about 2 weeks. Does this look like possible skin cancer? 

It doesn’t look like skin cancer to me- I have spots like that as well, my derm says they are normal! I wouldn’t worry unless it starts to grow- I’m not 100% sure but I don’t think skin cancer would cause pain in the leg.