The comedian says she has the same condition for the second time
It is important to keep an eye on your moles in case of any changes that could indicate skin cancer, experts say. While most moles are harmless, it is important to be aware of any changes, such as size or shape, that could be a sign of melanoma. With comedian Katherine Ryan revealing her skin cancer diagnosis, mole expert, Dr Ross Perry of skin clinic chain Cosmedics, has highlighted the ‘ABCDE’ signs of melanoma. Ryan has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer for a second time after she felt suspicious of a mole on her arm.
The 41-year-old said she initially had her suspicions of melanoma given the all-clear by a doctor who had worked in the NHS, before going on to a private clinic, which also dismissed her claims, before a test revealed the mole was cancerous. Ryan was previously diagnosed with stage two melanoma in her 20s, after finding an irregular mole on her leg, which was removed.
Speaking about her recent diagnosis on her Telling Everybody Everything podcast, she explained: “The only reason that they agreed to remove it was because I went to a fancy, private place in South Kensington, and I paid them a grand. I don’t believe that on the NHS they ever would have removed this mole, because I don’t know how long ago, I’m looking through my emails to find out how long ago, I think six to eight months ago, I went to another private clinic and gave them £300 for a seven minute consultation.
“I was in that room for seven minutes, and the doctor was like, ‘I do melanoma on the NHS, it’s all I do, I know all about skin cancer, I’m the man, this is not melanoma, goodbye. He was really nice to me, and he gave me the news that I wanted, I think it’s really easy to take a diagnosis of you’re healthy and just walk away.
“But the mole kept changing, and I know a lot about melanoma. I just felt like this mole wasn’t right, it’s on my arm, I showed pictures of it on my social media. I went in and I wanted the doctor to remove a bigger piece of it and stitch it up in a straight line, but even when he looked at it, he was like, ‘not melanoma, totally fine, I will do the shave and send it away for histology, and then if it comes back with anything, if there’s any borders that we missed, then we’ll do the deeper cut’.
“And I was like, ‘just do the deeper cut now, like just do it. He’s like, ‘well, it’s half the price for you, and you don’t need the deeper cut, let’s just take it off and we’ll test it.
“And I thought, ‘alright, we’ll take it off and we’ll test it fine’. So he rang me today, and it did come back melanoma, and he said, ‘it’s early melanoma’.
“And he was shocked, he’s like, ‘it doesn’t look like melanoma, but it is melanoma’.”
Dr Ross Perry explains ABCDE of checking moles
Asymmetry You should get your mole checked if you have noticed it has changed shape. “These moles look a bit lop-sided,” Dr Perry notes. “They are different shapes and/or sizes from left to right.” Borders When inspecting your moles, don’t forget to also look at the borders. “If they are uneven, scalloped or notched rather than smooth, then this might indicate an early melanoma,” the expert says. Colour Another warning sign of melanoma is a change in the colour of your moles. “Moles should be a fairly uniform block of colour,” Dr Perry states. “Any variation within a single mole is another warning sign – those colours can include brown, tan, black, red or blue.” Diameter If you notice that you have a mole that is larger than normal, you should have it looked at by a doctor. “If the mole is larger than the size of a pencil eraser, then it is cause for concern,” he explains. “However, early melanomas might start out smaller than a quarter of an inch, so don’t discount any that are suspicious yet small.” Evolving Evolving moles should not change significantly in appearance, and if they do, it could be a sign of skin cancer.”Any moles which seem to be changing in size, shape, colour or height are deemed risky. Also, watch out for itchiness, discharge, bleeding or crustiness,” the expert warns, pointing out that moles should not bleed unless they’ve been caught on something. Overall, you should always be suspicious of a new mole, growing moles, the darkest ones on your body and irregular shapes/borders. Remember the golden rule of “if in doubt, check it out” and seek advice from your GP if you’re concerned about a mole.
