Terrifying time-lapse video reveals how a tiny dark blotch can morph into stage 4 skin cancer

16:00 EDT 02 May 2024, updated 16:13 EDT 02 May 2024

An alarming time-lapse video has revealed how a barely visible mark can morph into stage four skin cancer.

Virginia-based Head and neck surgeon Dr Chris Chang created the clip using generative AI to warn people of the early stages of melanoma.

He said it would be difficult to create the same clip in real life because many often do not notice their skin cancers forming until the later stages.

The hypothetical video shows how the blotch grows to become melanoma over 10 years.

The clip was released ahead of the summer, with doctors warning people to wear sunscreen to limit their risk of the cancer — which can be triggered by sun damage.

The skin at the start of the animation

And at the end, when it was stage four melanoma

About 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma annually, the most common cancer in the US.

Cases are rising …