What is Melanoma Skin Cancer from a Memphis Dermatologist

13 hours ago
4 min read

by George Woodbury Jr. M.D. (05/24/2026)

Cordova Dermatologist Dr. George Woodbury does a Melanoma screening on a young man in his Memphis Dermatology office — Memphis Dermatologist Dr. George Woodbury does a Skin Cancer Screening on a young man in his Cordova Tennessee office

The numbers of cases of both Melanoma and Skin Cancer continue to rise, so let’s take a look at what Melanoma Skin Cancer is, and why it’s important, my perspective being that of a Board-certified Memphis Dermatologist with Rheumatology and Dermatology, 8143 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova TN 38018, since 1993 (a Cordova Dermatologist: 1-901-753-0168).

Fair complected individuals at the beach who would be considered higher risk for Skin Cancer — Young blonde man and woman at the beach by their very genetics would be considered higher risk for Melanoma Skin Cancer

Key Fact #1: Who’s at risk of Melanoma and Skin Cancer? The real question is who’s at ”ESPECIALLY high risk.” Everyone is in fact at risk of Melanoma and Skin Cancer, not just fair-complected people.

Blonde couple at a pool who would do best to reapply their Broad-spectrum sunscreen every 2 hours to reduce risk of Melanoma and Skin Cancer — Fair-complected couple at the pool who are hopefully wearing a Broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 50 or higher

The traditional “especially high risk” people include:

*Red-heads and blonde individuals, though in reality most cases of Melanoma and Skin cancer develop in those with brown, black, or gray-haired individuals, possibly because these individuals are less wary of the sun, and may spend more time in Ultraviolet (UV) light, or even use dangerous indoor tanning.

*People of Scotch-Irish, English, German, or Scandinavian ancestry, but remember that the famous Afro-Caribbean Reggae musician Bob Marley died of Melanoma at the age of 36, from a spot that originated on his foot, so everyone is at risk, not just fair-complected people.

*People who tend to burn or peel in the sun, especially those with a history of blistering sunburns.

*People who have worked in or played in the sun, or those who have lived in Sunbelt states like Florida, Tennessee, and Arizona, including golfers, cyclists, skiers, sailors, and tennis players.

*People who have used ultraviolet rays (UV rays) at tanning salons.

Dermatologist treating a male patient with a Basal Cell Skin Cancer on his right temple - the most common type of Skin Cancer — Dermatologist treating a male patient with a Basal Cell Carcinoma on his temple

Key Fact #2: Spotting a suspicious lesion for Melanoma or Skin Cancer early is key to effective treatment. In doing a Skin Cancer Screening, Dermatologists like me watch for the “A, B, C, D, E” warning signs, or the ABCDE signs of skin cancer, first described by Drs. Al Knopf and Daryl Rigel of New York University:

A=Asymmetry: the profile of one half of the lesion doesn’t match the other half.

B=Border irregularity: the profile of the margins of the lesion is jagged, like the coast of Maine, rather than smooth, like the coast of California.

C=Color Variation: different hues of brown, black, gray, or even purple,

D=Darker Color, when compared with the person’s other moles, or D=Diameter is enlarging, and

E=Evolving or changing lesion.

Melanoma Skin Cancer on a patient's forehead — Melanoma on a patient's forehead showing irregular Colors and an irregular Border

An Important Warning: some Melanomas and Skin Cancers like “Amelanotic Melanoma” do not show any of the A, B, C, D, E characteristics. If you or a family member is especially high risk, do your own checks at home, but also definitely get checked periodically by a Board-certified Dermatologist.

Melanoma Skin Cancer on a patient's back displaying an irregular Border — A Melanoma on a patient's back showing irregular Color and Asymmetry

Key Fact #3: The most common location on the body for Melanoma in men is the back, and for women it’s the legs. But Melanoma can arise anywhere on a person’s body, either from a preexisting Mole or Nevus or an Atypical Mole, or even from areas of skin without a preexisting Mole. Melanoma can even occur in the groin or inside the mouth, or in the back of the eye. So to do an effective Skin Cancer Screening, you really need to look over your entire body.

Cordova Dermatologist Dr. George Woodbury talking with a young male patient about Melanoma in his Cordova Tennessee office — Memphis Dermatologist Dr. George Woodbury counseling a young male patient about Skin Cancer

Dermatologists and Dermatologic Surgeons can now achieve better Melanoma Skin Cancer treatment outcomes. Most Skin Cancers and Melanomas are treated with “excisional surgery,” whereby the Dermatologic Surgeon cuts out the malignant cells under local anesthetic, out-patient. Mohs Surgery, available in my own Dermatology practice since 2004, is a way of checking the margins of tissue removed while the patient is still in the office, the goal being to clear the surgical margins of malignant skin cells. We can even treat “pre-malignant” skin growths, like an Actinic Keratosis or Actinic Keratoses, with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy), or prescription creams: Efudex, Fluoroplex, Imiquimod (Aldara), and Retin A (Tretinoin).

Scarlet Akins would be considered higher risk for Melanoma due to being blonde and fair-complected — Scarlet Akins developed Melanoma when 26 years old

For more tips on Melanoma and for Melanoma pictures, check out a short movie sponsored by myself as a Cordova Dermatologist: YouTube: “Understanding the Melanoma Crisis: Scarlet’s Story.” It tells the story of Scarlet, a 26 year old student studying to be a teacher at Ole Miss who found out while seven months pregnant that she had metastatic Melanoma.

Cordova Dermatologist Dr. George Woodbury counseling a young male patient about Melanoma and Skin Cancer — Memphis Dermatologist Dr. George Woodbury counseling a young male patient about Melanoma and Skin Cancer

My own Memphis Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery practice since 1993 has been at Rheumatology and Dermatology Associates (www.Rheumderm.com), 8143 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova TN, 38018, (1-901-753-0168), near Bartlett, Arlington, Germantown, Collierville, and East Memphis. Or you can find a “Best Dermatologist Near Me” by going to the American Academy of Dermatology’s web site, www.AAD.org, then plugging your zip code into the “Find a Dermatologist” tab.