Should I Be Concerned About This Red Spot Being Skin Cancer?

SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?

Maybe I'm just worried about nothing, but it seemed like this spot on the tip of my nose appeared out of nowhere, and I'm worried that it might be skin cancer.

My mother had spots of skin cancer for several years, and this spot on the tip of my nose seemed to appear overnight.

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SUN EXPOSURE

I don't recall being in the sun for an extended period of time, as of late, but heck; I was born with skin that burns when the light touches it, and although I put skin protective lotion on my face every day, I wonder if I ever get enough on the tip of my nose? I thought I was covering it, but honestly, I guess I never really thought it would happen to me.

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

This spot on the tip of my nose seemed to appear overnight. I didn't see it yesterday; I just saw it this afternoon as I was looking in my car mirror. At first, I thought I had food on my face, and then realized it wasn't coming off when I rubbed it.

Of course, I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor right away, as I know early detection is key. In searching for answers on what to look for, I did find this information from Healthline.com. It says that skin cancer may be:

• A new or unusual spot on your skin that doesn't go away
• A spot that oozes, bleeds, gets scaly or crusty or doesn't heal
• A lesion that spontaneously bleeds without being picked at
• A mole with swelling or redness beyond its borders
• A mole with poorly defined borders
• A mole that grows or changes shape and color
• A hard lesion that doubles in size in a matter of weeks
• Itchiness or pain in a certain area of your skin that persists or keeps returning

HOW URGENT IS IT?

According to Healthline.com, it's incredibly important to have any potential risks to skin cancer checked out as soon as possible. If Melanoma is caught early, the 5-year survival rate is 99%, but that number drops to 66% if Melanoma spreads to your lymph nodes. If cancer reaches distant organs, the five-year survival rate drops to 27%.

So you can see why I'm concerned. If you have a feeling this is skin cancer, please message me asap at kelly@minnesotasnewcountry.com. I WILL make a doctor's appointment to have this checked out immediately. I lost my mother to cancer of a different type, but she did struggle with skin cancer for years before this, which makes me think my chances of getting skin cancer are also high. If YOU suspect you may have skin cancer, it's not something I think either one of us should wait to check on.