Mother of Four Says Mole Quadrupled in Size During Pregnancy, Is Diagnosed with Melanoma After Baby Is Born; What You Need to Know about Melanoma

The 40-year-old mother from Australia noticed a familiar mole on her cheek had quadrupled in size when she was pregnant with her youngest child. Unfortunately, the busy mother did not find the time to get it checked out until February. In order to treat the melanoma, doctors removed “the mole as well as 3cm of skin, from her nose to her chin, leaving a scar 3cm wide and 12cm long, to make sure the cancer didn't spread.”

“The doctor warned me that my face would be deformed and he drew a picture to show how big the cut would be and my heart just sank,” Davies told the Mirror UK. “I was in shock and I didn’t know how to react knowing that my face was going to be scarred for the rest of my life.”

Her youngest child, Bella-Reign, had a few medical problems after she gave birth so Davies was preoccupied with the health of her child when symptoms of her cancer began. She initially thought the growth of her mole was just a normal result of pregnancy, but now she believe it was the hormones that actually contributed to the acceleration of her cancer.

“I had this tiny mole on my cheek all of my life,” Davies told the Mirror. “It was the pregnancy hormones that accelerated the cancer. It didn’t start growing until I was pregnant.”

Pregnancy and Melanoma

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, pregnancy does not increase your risk of developing skin cancer.

“While we know that hormones may have an impact on breast and ovarian cancer, there is no evidence to suggest that the risk of melanoma increases during pregnancy,” the SCF website says.

But there is an important caveat, according to the SCF: Being pregnant can change how your body fights melanoma.

"When the body is pregnant, its normal defenses for detecting cancer are lowered because the immune system is working to protect the fetus rather than the mother,” Dr. Sapna Patel, associate professor of melanoma medical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, told SCF.

So while it’s understandable that Davies was focused on her baby when her mole started growing, it’s important to continue regular skins exams during pregnancy and beyond. And if you spot a suspicious-looking mole that has grown or changed in some way, you should see a doctor immediately.

Understanding Melanoma

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair and eyes their color. But melanoma causes the cells to change in a way that makes them able to spread to other organs.

"Melanomas are the deadliest type of skin cancer because they have a tendency to spread to other parts of the body," explains Dr. Anna Pavlick, an oncologist at NYU Langone Health.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 106,110 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States in 2021. Melanoma can develop from an existing mole, like in Davies’ case, or appear as a dark or pink growth on the skin even in places on the body that never see the sun.

Paying attention to moles or growths on your skin is an easy way to keep an eye out for melanoma. Changes to a mole you've had for a while or developing a new growth you don't remembering having on your skin could be signs of of this cancer, according to SurvivorNet's experts. These spots on our skin are often harmless, but it's still important to keep an eye on them and reach out to your doctor if you see any changes or find a growth anywhere on your skin that looks suspicious.

Examining Your Skin for Melanoma Remember ABCDE

Dr. Cecilia Larocca of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute gives SurvivorNet an overview of things to look out for with moles using the ABCDE self-screening method:

• Asymmetrical moles: "If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?"
• Borders that are "irregular, jagged, not smooth." It can also stand for bleeding.
• Colors: "Multiple distinct colors in the mole."
• Diameter: "Larger than 6mm, about the size of a pencil head eraser."
• Evolution: "This may be the most important," she says. "Anything that is changing over time such as gaining color, losing color, painful, itching, hurting, changing shape, etc."

Protecting Yourself Against Skin Cancer

“You don’t have to love the sun to get skin cancer,” Davies told the Mirror. She says she didn’t spend much time outside, but 90 percent of melanomas are caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This means excessive time in the sun even as a child  puts you at a higher risk.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Dendy Engelman from MDCS Dermatology in New York shared the top five things you can do to avoid skin cancer:

• Avoid sun during peak hours, which is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wear a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses to protect the tops of our heads, the tops of our ears and the delicate area around the eye.
• Wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen and make sure to reapply every two hours or after excessive sweating or swimming.
• Have yearly skin checks (with a professional), because it's difficult to evaluate areas all over the body.
• Avoid tanning beds. There are no "good" tanning beds, and they can significantly increase your risk of melanoma.

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