Many people are aware men can have problems with breast tissue growth. This can happen in adolescence around the time of puberty or can be noticed later in adult life. It can also occur later in life sometimes as a side effect of drug treatment for an unrelated illness. Gynaecomastia (male breast growth) can be seen on just one side. It is not always both sides which are affected. The symptoms vary from person to person but in general there are 2 issues. 1. Often there is a firm ...

The first thing to say is that it is very important that you do not mix up the term "level" with the term "stage". The level of your melanoma refers to the thickness of the melanoma within your skin. Stage is an assessment of the risk of your melanoma spreading and an assessment of whether spread has already occurred and how far that spread has occurred. For staging the information used is the information from the pathology report, the examination findings observed by your doctor about w...

At the conclusion of the last article I explained the whilst the Breslow thickness and the Clarke Level are the most important factors reported by the pathologist when they examine a melanoma under the microscope. Even though the factors we will discuss below are not as critical as thickness and level the pathologists do report on several other lessor factors which we know effect outcome of melanoma. I have listed them below with a brief explanation.Architectural type; Superficial...

Now we have described the structure of your skin and how the normal skin pigment system works we can start discussing what happens when a melanoma develops. You will remember the melanocytes ( pigment cells) sit at the bottom of the epidermis layer of your skin. These cells are present when you are born and present when you die and do not normally divide or reproduce themselves during your lifetime. Melanocytes are spaced out at regular intervals along the bottom of your epidermis. ...

This month we wish to draw your attention to an update issued by The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and Therapeutic Goods Authority (TGA) in regards Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL). This is a rare disease which can effect women who have had breast implants inserted either for cosmetic reasons or for breast reconstruction after breast cancer. Please see attached PDF for further information...

Melanoma is a cancer arising from the pigment cells of the skin ( these calls are called the melanocytes). To understand melanoma it is helpful to have a basic understanding of the structure of your skin and how the skin pigment system works. Part 1: The Skin System The skin is composed of 2 layers The EPIDERMIS and the DERMIS . The superficial ( outer) layer of the skin is called the EPIDERMIS .This is the barrier between you and the outside world. It is composed for the most part b...