Toenail melanomas are similarly found on the skin but they are on the skin beneath the toenail or thumbnail. This makes them less noticeable especially for habitancy who often wear dark nail polish. This is also the imagine why most toenail melanomas are only treated or removed only when they have reached the more industrialized stages of growth.
Fortunately, toenail melanoma is generally benign, in which case a simple surgery can be done to remove the skin tumor. Since toenail melanoma is covered by the nail, the execution would want the partial or total discharge of the exterior nail as well.
This is all done under local anesthesia so there is nothing to worry about. With the advances in contemporary medicine, this surgery will only last about an hour.
The first symptom of this kind of skin cancer is a small dark spot resembling a mole. Oftentimes, a toenail melanoma is dark yellow, brown or black.
In rare cases, the spot is colorless, making it more difficult to detect. These types are the riskier ones especially if they turn out to be malignant. They can keep growing with the person not even knowing he has it.
To differentiate in the middle of a quarterly mole and a toenail melanoma, you will have to observe the spot for a few days or even weeks. If the spot grows in size, there is a large opening that it is in fact a toenail melanoma.
Although most toenail melanomas are benign, this is not a certainty. You need to go in for a biopsy to rule the kind of toenail melanoma you have.
Sometimes a toenail melanoma starts not as a spot but a streak, similar to the white streaks that sometimes appear on the nail following trauma. If you observation these streaks on your nails without undergoing any kind of nail trauma, you should have your nail checked as this can be the beginning stages of a tumor.
Although this health is generally called toenail melanoma, it can as a matter of fact occur in any of your other nails as well. They do appear much more often on the toenails and thumbnails but you should normally check your other nails as well.
Once you begin to observation these changes in your nails, it is best to consult a doctor right away. Melanomas are still a kind of cancer, and just like other cancers, they are more as a matter of fact treated if detected early. Also, since they are just like any other tumor, you will need to endure chemotherapy and radiation in case the toenail melanoma turns out to be malignant.
Medical studies have shown that this single kind of melanoma, also called acral lentiginous melanoma in the curative community, is more common in Asians and other habitancy with darker skin. However, Caucasians are not totally risk-free as there have also been several cases of toenail melanoma in very fair-skinned habitancy over the years.
0 comments:
Post a Comment