Melanoma

With early detection, melanoma has a high survival rate when treated earlier. Dermatologist Brundha Balaraman, MD, uses the latest and most precise diagnostic techniques to identify melanoma before it spreads. ALLUSTRA DERMATOLOGY, located in the Heights and Memorial City in Houston, Texas, features the diagnostic and treatment tools to manage skin cancers of all kinds. For expert melanoma assessment, call the office or book an evaluation online today.

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a serious skin cancer originating in pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Early detection is essential. Melanoma tends to spread or metastasize to other organs more rapidly than other skin cancers and is more challenging to treat when it does. 

Like other forms of skin cancer, melanoma often develops because of cellular DNA damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays. These come from the sun as well as tanning beds or booths. The DNA damage within the melanocytes causes them to grow uncontrollably. 

How is melanoma diagnosed?

Early-stage diagnosis for melanoma is crucial, so it’s important to have an understanding of what it can look like. Look for any new or changing features or spots on your skin. Lesions tend to be asymmetrical, have uneven borders, feature multiple colors, and be larger than other moles and lesions. 

The ALLUSTRA DERMATOLOGY team does things a little differently in terms of melanoma diagnosis. While many providers use a biopsy method, they maintain that it’s not the most effective or accurate way to diagnose melanoma. Instead of leaving a crater in the skin with incisions, the practice uses:

Dermatoscopy

A dermatoscope gives your provider a close-up, microscopic view of the possible melanoma lesion. If there are unusual features, they take pictures and ask you to come back later for further assessment.

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM)

RCM offers an even closer microscopic look at a suspicious lesion. Your provider sometimes uses this method immediately after using a dermatoscope if they observe concerning features. 

Pigment lesion assay (PLA) tape-strip test

A PLA tape-strip test uses a piece of adhesive tape to noninvasively collect cells from a possible melanoma lesion. Your provider sends the sample to a gene lab for further examination.

What are my treatment options for melanoma?

Early stages of melanoma are easier to treat and have a high cure rate. Your provider can treat melanoma using minor surgery to remove the cancerous cells from your skin. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), your provider measures the size and depth of the cancerous lesion to minimize tissue removal during excision.

Melanoma that spreads requires other systemic treatments. Your comprehensive plan might involve:

• Immunotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy

Your provider monitors possible melanoma lesions early so you don’t get any treatments that aren’t absolutely necessary. If they find melanoma before it has the chance to spread, excision may be the only treatment you need.

If you see a concerning spot on your skin or have a family history of melanoma, don’t hesitate to call for a skin exam at ALLUSTRA DERMATOLOGY or book a melanoma evaluation online right away.