Posted by May (Maine) on 06/17/2017
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Interesting about the nail polish. There's another theory that you might not have heard of which is previous injury to the area. I have spoken to a few friends over the years who reported that they got melanoma on areas of the body that they had injured a few years before. As I understand it, cells in the area of injury get damaged and no longer differentiate. Among the canine greyhound rescue community, it is widely known that greyhounds are susceptible to bone cancer after they retire from the racetrack. The dogs don't typically get bone cancer where they had broken a bone (bone fractures usually heal well when set right) but they do get cancer in the area that had a severe injury but not a break. So keep that in mind because you could have stubbed a toe repeatedly or if you wore tight shoes that jammed your toes as this might have something to do with it.
Needless to say, be good to your feet from now on and careful of the shoes you wear. Melanoma is nothing to mess around with. Best of luck. Do let us know how you are doing.
Posted by Joru (Northeast US) on 12/09/2014
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I strongly suspect that Malassezia yeast, in combination with environmental and virulence factors that favor its growth, are the cause of Melanoma.
Key points about Malassezia:
- It infects melanocytes in the skin.
- It accumulates melanin.
- Non-lethal exposure to UV radiation stimulates the growth of fungi.
- Unlike candida and most other common yeasts, Malassezia feeds on LIPIDS rather than sugar/starch. Note that because of this, Malassezia will *not* be found in serum fungal cultures because the medium they use is sugar/starch based; it does not contain lipids which are required for Malassezia to grow.
- It is very slow growing, meaning overgrowth occurs over years or even decades.
- Risk factors may include: prolonged use of antibiotics or steroids, exposure to UV radiation (sun, CT scans & other medical procedures, etc), use of oil-based skin lotions, diet high in vegetable oils/animal fats (sources of oleic acid), excessive alcohol (with the possible exception of beer and dry red wine), high cholesterol/triglycerides. High sebum/skin oil and high triglycerides could in theory also be CAUSED by Malassezia. It might release acids etc. that cause the body to respond with increased lipids. (Makes sense since that is its food source).
If I am correct, it may be possible to reduce one's risk by eliminating things that favor the growth of Malassezia. I don't know what treatment options there might be once Melanoma occurs. In general, sulfur seems to inhibit the growth of fungi so that's at least something to think about. Not sure whether levels in food would be high enough to have an effect. Foods high in sulfur include garlic, onions, brassica vegetables like broccoli. Highly pigmented/colorful foods (red-purple-green) are another avenue to explore. I would be careful about supplements containing Vitamin D or iron, as these can feed yeast from what I've read.
Posted by Heather (Leicester) on 09/04/2012
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Hi, Here's another Melanoma story that may help someone. I found a dodgy mole when I was pregnant with my first child at the age of 30.. It looked like the magazine photos but not as bad but as I was pregnant and in and out of the docs frequently I showed it to the doc who humoured me and sent me to the check in centre at hospital. It was a melanoma I had 2 I biopsy and 2 surgeries.. For a small mole a large chunk was removed from my calf. As I was pregnant that was my treatment, it was 1996 so 15 years ago. No lymph nodes or scans were done, it was low grade. I went for 2 hands on healing sessions. When people found out a few collegues and friends of friends told me they had been treated for melanoma too often in places that were not exposed to the sun. I now think it is a deficiency in selenium maybe vit d and c. I remember before my mole I had a strange mole/spot that I had squeezed! Before that when I was around 16 I had a strange sort of sweat burn from using a sunbed. My consultant at the time told me to go away and live my life he said they still did not know the cause and that the sun was one of many lines of study.
I hope this helps x
