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Nodular Melanoma
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Nodular Melanoma

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Nodular Melanoma

  • Post
    • May 12, 2017 at 3:46 am
    matthew111
    Participant

      Are nodular melanomas raised or are they flat?

    Viewing 4 reply threads
    • Replies
        • May 12, 2017 at 4:17 am
        jennunicorn
        Participant

          A nodule is a raised growth. So nodular melanoma would be raised up, not flat like superficial spreading melanoma which is the most common form.

            • May 12, 2017 at 5:57 am
            matthew111
            Participant

              How raised does a mole have to be to be nodular melanoma?

              • May 12, 2017 at 6:53 am
              jennunicorn
              Participant
                If you’re trying to figure out if you have melanoma, I don’t think it really matters what kind, just get it checked out. If you’be been diagnosed but wondering if yours was nodular, I’d ask your derm their opinion. Mine was flat in the beginning and one side started to raise up and looked like a scab but wasn’t considered nodular melanoma.
              • May 12, 2017 at 5:58 am
              GeoTony
              Participant

                Just to be different I had a superficial spreading melanoma which I didn't pick up until the raised nodular melanoma in the middle appeared

                • May 12, 2017 at 9:31 am
                Jeff_in_FL
                Participant

                  Mine started out as a small, flat, black dot. I actually thought it was from a permanent marker. This was around Christmas. By March, it was domed, perfectly round, and 8mm (about 1/4") across. Absolutely no doubt that this wasn't normal. Nodular Melanoma. 

                    • May 14, 2017 at 12:41 pm
                    matthew111
                    Participant

                      Jeff how raised would you say your mole was?

                      • May 14, 2017 at 7:53 pm
                      Jeff_in_FL
                      Participant

                        I would say it was "slightly" raised …just kind of a dome. I think I would have actually gone to have it looked at if it had been more raised than it was. That's the dangerous thing about this type of Melanoma; doesn't usually become overly raised, and not too large in diameter. It grows down instead. Anyway, that's what I was told.

                        • May 14, 2017 at 8:21 pm
                        matthew111
                        Participant

                          How many millimeters would you say your mole was across when it first started?

                          • May 15, 2017 at 3:54 pm
                          Jeff_in_FL
                          Participant

                            It was non-existent, and grew over time. If you took a permanent marker (Sharpie), and put a dot on your skin, that is what it looked like when I first noticed it. I remember thinking, "I don't remember that tiny black mole being there before", but it grew from that to 8 mm (a little over 1/4") in diameter in less than three months. Definitely noticed that!

                            • May 16, 2017 at 1:09 am
                            matthew111
                            Participant

                              If I have a black mole that has not grown in size in 3 months does that mean it is not melanoma?

                              • May 16, 2017 at 2:32 am
                              jennunicorn
                              Participant

                                The only way to know if something is melanoma is through a biopsy. Looks alone don't diagnose. If this mole has caused these questions in your mind, then it's time to see a dermatologist and have a professional take a look.

                              • May 12, 2017 at 4:50 pm
                              AliCat61
                              Participant

                                Hub's melanoma was a very slightly raised red bumpy area spreading across his face, Honestly, it looked like nothing more than irritated skin. But it was new and different. First time we asked primary care doc about it, he blew us off. The following year I put my foot down and insisted on biospy. It was nevoid malignant melanoma, nodular. Get it checked, please.

                                • May 14, 2017 at 9:56 am
                                Zay95
                                Participant
                                  Any new pigment/growth in the skin should be checked to rule out melanoma. I’ve had new black raised mole appeared and really freaked out that it might be nodular melanoma, but it was completely benign. In most cases they are benign but defentliley anything new should be checked.
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