Are all moles really dangerous?
Moles, or, scientifically speaking, nevi, are skin formations made up of melanocyte cells. These cells produce pigment in the skin and protect it from the harmful effects of UV rays. And their clusters are exactly what spots look like.
The main fear associated with moles is the possibility of them developing into melanoma. This is a malignant neoplasm that can metastasise to other organs. This is really possible. But it cannot be said that melanoma will necessarily develop from a mole.
Malignant tumour appears from melanocytes, but these cells are in all our skin. Therefore, melanoma can appear not only from a mole, but also in any other place.
Catherine tells us that melanoma arises from a mole in less than 30% of cases. Moreover, if the tumour appears from a nevus, then most often – from a flat. People, however, are more afraid of overgrowth of convex moles and even tape them up when going out in the sun.
In addition, not all brown coloured skin neoplasms are nevi at all. Some of them may look similar but be completely harmless.
Keratomas – thickenings of the stratum corneum of the skin – are often called moles. There are no melanocytes in them and they can not degenerate into melanoma. The appearance of these neoplasms is very diverse: from barely visible light brown spots to almost black plaques several centimetres in size.
Thus, formations on the skin can be both potentially dangerous and completely harmless. And without special knowledge and analyses to determine their type is impossible.
At the same time, there are indirect signs that will help you decide whether you should make an appointment with a dermatologist or you can leave the mole alone.
When to consider mole removal
There is a popular mole grading rule called ABCDE, in which each letter represents one of the possible signs of melanoma:
Asymmetry – One half of the mole is not similar in shape to the other.
Border – The edges of a mole are fuzzy, blurred, or jagged.
Color – More than one shade of colour in a mole, such as patches of pink, black and brown.
Diameter – More than 5 mm in diameter or, to make it easier to visualise, larger than the eraser on the tip of a pencil.
Evolving – growth, change in shape and colour, bleeding, crusting, itching.
However, dermatologists caution against using this method on its own, as the ABCDE rule can give false positive results.
Seborrheic keratomas meet all the above signs: they are almost always asymmetrical, with irregular edges, unevenly coloured, have a diameter of more than 5 mm and grow rapidly. By applying the ABCDE rule for self-diagnosis, a person can recognise an innocuous mass as cancer and experience severe stress.
Most normal nevi are similar to each other, but a melanoma stands out in comparison. It may be noticeably larger or smaller, lighter or darker than surrounding moles. It can also be an isolated focus of pigmentation with no surrounding moles for comparison.
Be sure to watch for changes. If an existing mole suddenly grows, changes colour or shape, you should make an appointment with your doctor. You should also visit a dermatologist if you have traumatised a mole on your skin.
Is it necessary to remove a mole if it is damaged?
You will often hear that any traumatisation of a mole can cause it to develop into a malignant neoplasm. This is a common myth that makes people worry in vain.
There is no connection between trauma to a mole and the occurrence of melanoma. This myth arose because in the past this tumour was detected much later – at those stages when it is easily damaged and bleeds. To the average person, this event looks like a “mole injury”. And when a patient reaches a doctor who diagnoses melanoma, the logic for him is simple: injured mole – tumour appeared.
