A literal protective barrier for your body, your skin makes up 15% of your body weight, covers approximately 20 square feet, and has three layers to keep you safe. However, while it functions as a barrier against disease and injury, regulates temperature, keeps you hydrated, and produces vitamin D, it’s also prone to damage and disease.
Moles and other types of skin discoloration can be harmless and develop for a variety of reasons. They can also indicate the possibility of threats to your health, including several forms of skin cancer. To determine whether your mole is an early sign of a more serious illness, let’s review what changes to look for.
Dr. John Monroe and our medical staff at Healthy Life Family Medicine help the people of Goodyear, Arizona, with a range of needs, including skin checks for various conditions.
Just about everyone has at least one mole somewhere on their body, though the average is closer to 10-40. These are often benign (noncancerous) and occur in areas most exposed to sunlight. A typical mole has a round or oval appearance, looks smaller than a pencil eraser, has distinct edges, is smooth, and is evenly colored pink, brown, or tan.
Several noncancerous skin problems aren’t moles but resemble them, including dermatofibroma, hemangioma, pilar cysts, lipoma, warts, skin tags, and cherry angiomas.
Changes in moles can indicate signs of cancer, namely melanoma, a dangerous form of the illness. When looking for signs of melanoma in moles you find suspicious, look for changes using the ABCDE method:
If both sides of the mole don’t match, it indicates the presence of cancerous cells.
If the mole lacks defined edges, meaning they’re fuzzy, ragged, or blurred, it’s possible evidence of melanoma.
Moles with multiple shades of color, or those that are specifically colors like red, white, gray, or black, need to be checked out.
If a mole grows larger than that of a pencil eraser (six millimeters), it’s a reason for concern, especially if the changes happen rapidly.
One of the biggest signs of melanoma is changes like oozing and bleeding. They need to get checked as soon as possible.
You can also look for new moles, itchy moles, and atypical moles (also called ugly ducklings).
When examining moles for evidence of cancer, we may perform a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis. Once confirmed, they’re removed by excision (cutting the mole out and stitching if necessary) or shaving with a surgical blade.
Be wary of the sudden appearance of moles and any of the changes we’ve discussed. If you notice anything like it, make an appointment with Dr. Monroe and the team at Healthy Life Family Medicine.
