{"id":160422,"date":"2025-06-05T14:25:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T14:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/160422\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T14:25:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T14:25:13","slug":"im-a-dermatologist-theres-two-little-known-signs-of-skin-cancer-almost-everyone-misses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/160422\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a dermatologist – there’s two little-known signs of skin cancer almost everyone misses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t ignore a patch of itchy skin that simply won\u2019t heal\u2014it could be skin cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of two common niggles, along with a pimple that doesn’t go away, that consultant dermatologist Dr Fatima Awdeh has identified as a possible sign of the disease, including deadly melanoma.<\/p>\n

In a new video posted to the Instagram page of her dermatology clinic, Riverside Skin and Laser Clinic<\/a>, the Essex-based medic outlined little-known skin problems that set off alarm bells.<\/p>\n

Firstly, she revealed a new brown streak under a fingernail makes her worry about melanoma\u2014which kills around 2,300 people in the UK every year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a sign of a rare type of the disease called\u00a0subungual melanoma, which presents as discoloration underneath the nail that looks like a bruise.<\/p>\n

A second sign that patients are rarely aware of, she said, is a patch of eczema that does not heal.<\/p>\n

This could be a sign of\u00a0squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)<\/a>, the second most common skin cancer,\u00a0with more than 25,000 people in the UK diagnosed with the condition every year.<\/p>\n

While it is highly survivable in early stages, when spotted late it can spread to other areas of the body, making it more difficult to treat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While many serious skin cancers begin in moles, experts have urged the public to look out for other changes that don’t involve the traditional raised, coloured spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For instance, Dr Awdeh said an unhealed spot could be a\u00a0basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a slow growing cancer that is the most common skin cancer in the UK.<\/p>\n

While BCCs do not usually spread throughout the body, and are almost always cured, treating them can involve removing large chunks of skin, leaving patients with disfiguring scars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of these growths appear as flat, red, scaly marks or have a pearl-like rim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many become ulcerated, while others are lumpy with shiny nodules.<\/p>\n

In the caption, Dr Awdeh wrote: \u2018Signs of skin cancer can include new growths or changes in existing ones, such as moles or patches of skin, that are new, changing, or growing.<\/p>\n

Melanoma is the UK\u2019s fifth most common cancer, as well as the deadliest type of skin cancer, resulting in 2,000 deaths a year.<\/p>\n

The most common sign of this lethal type is a mole that grows, bleeds or changes colour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Dr <\/p>\n

Dr Fatima Awdeh has shared some commonly overlooked symptoms of skin cancer<\/p>\n

Melanoma: Signs and what to look for\u00a0 \"\" <\/p>\n

Dermatologists follow the ABCDEs when diagnosing melanoma<\/p>\n

Asymmetry – moles with uneven edges<\/p>\n

Border – borders of moles are irregular<\/p>\n

Color –\u00a0\u00a0shades of brown, black, or tan, as well as spots of pink, red or purple<\/p>\n

Diameter – At least six millimeters<\/p>\n

Evolving –\u00a0Changes in the size, shape, color, or elevation of a spot or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching, or crusting<\/p>\n

Non-melanoma: Signs and what to look for \"\" <\/p>\n

Basal Cell may appear as a<\/p>\n