How Long does Melanoma take?
 

How long does it take for melanoma to typically develop from early and treatable to more serious? I've had some moles that have turned black that I am getting checked out but I don't think they've been black for more than a year. REALLY SCARED!

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

not sure about that but get them checked out asap. Let us know how it goes.
Haley

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

I wish I had an answer for you. I had a melanoma on my ear for about 3 yrs and didn't even know it! Had the surgery to have it removed and plastic surgery to fix the piece of ear they removed. So far so good ;)

Keep us posted.

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

There is no cookie cutter answer to that. It varies. I had mine for a good 2 years before I ever even went to get it checked. It turned out to be pretty deep and a level V - but I had no lymph node involvement or mets as far as we know. The best thing is to get anything that changes checked asap. And that doesn't mean just moles. My melanoma did not look anything at all like a mole! So just be aware of your skin, note changes and get them checked.
I wish you the best. Don't panic - try not to even think about it until you get the results and see what you are looking at. :)

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

ladypepper do you mind describing what your melanoma looked like? i am just a bit curious...

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

Mack,
As you may know Melanoma is the most aggressive of Skin cancers. It is nothing to have with a watch-see attitude.
IF you have a black mole-- It should be examined ASAP.

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

Hi Mack

Different melanomas have different characteristics. Some can be very slow growers, while others can be more aggressive. Sometimes a year is meaningless and other times, it can be significant. The key with any melanoma is early detection. So, the pp's are right to advise you to get it checked by a melanoma specialist as soon as you can.

Best of luck.

Re: How Long does Melanoma take?
 

[QUOTE=Mack_21]How long does it take for melanoma to typically develop from early and treatable to more serious? I've had some moles that have turned black that I am getting checked out but I don't think they've been black for more than a year. REALLY SCARED![/QUOTE]
I know what you mean i was asking the same type of questions i have
had a couple of moles for a time but i taught they could be just related
to getting older