A truly ‘scary’ time-lapse video has shown the entire process of how a dark patch of skin can turn eventually turn into melanoma cancer.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body with the main cause of it being ultraviolet light, which comes from the Sun and is used in sunbeds.

There are also a number of things that can increase your chances of getting melanoma – including your age and having pale skin, a large number of moles and a family history of skin cancer, the NHS says.

People were shocked by the ‘scary’ footage. (YouTube/@fauquierent)

It’s often possible to prevent skin cancer by being careful in the sun, for example, by using sunscreen and reapplying it regularly.

However, if you do develop melanoma then treatment usually depends on where on the body it is, if it has spread to other areas of your body as well as your general health and wellbeing as a whole – but surgery usually is the main treatment.

And the YouTube channel, Fauquier ENT, posted the pretty chilling clip using generative AI based on actual melanoma photos to show people just how easily something seemingly small can, one day, possibly pose a major health risk.

And it’s clear that the footage, which chronicled a ‘Normal to Stage 4 melanoma over 10 years’, really stuck with viewers.

The clip showed a time-lapse from normal to Stage 4 melanoma over 10 years. (YouTube/@fauquierent)

One YouTube user penned: “Scary how long this can go unnoticed.”

“The rate at which it grows towards the end is scary…” echoed a second, while a third said: “New fear unlocked.”