Moles usually look like small brown spots, but they are actually made up of many cells. The average adult will have 10 to 45 moles, but most of them are not dangerous, and some may disappear as they age. How do you know if the moles on your body are normal? The best way is to check yourself often and watch for changes in your moles.
Learn what the characteristics of a mole are
First, you can ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the left side of the mole similar to the right side? Or is the top half similar to the bottom half?
- Is the size of the mole the same as when you first found it?
- Is the mole the same size as when you first found it?
- Is the border of the mole clear and even?
- Is the maximum diameter of the mole less than 0.6 cm?
- Is the mole solidly colored? Is it tan or flesh-colored?
- Is the mole solid?
If you answered “yes” to each question, then your mole is probably normal. But if you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should see your doctor for testing.
Check your moles once a month so that you can detect abnormalities in time. You need to examine your body from head to toe, including between your fingers and toes, on your scalp or under your armpits, and under your fingernails. For areas that are difficult to observe, you can do so with the help of a mirror.
People with darker skin tones also usually have darker moles than people with fairer skin.
Red “moles”
You may see a red, mole-like spot on your skin, but it is actually a cherry angioma. Unlike moles, cherry-like hemangiomas usually appear in old age. They consist of a series of small blood vessels that do not usually develop into cancer.
More features of abnormal moles
Even if you have a mole that is not quite normal, it does not necessarily mean it is cancer. Features that suggest a mole may be skin cancer include:
- itching
- pain
- Crusting
- bleeding
- Swelling
Another feature is that normal moles do not grow back after surgical removal, but cancerous moles do.
The process of going to the doctor
When you go to the hospital, your doctor may ask the following questions:
- Does anyone else in the family have an abnormal mole or have skin cancer?
- Have you noticed any changes in the mole, such as color or size?
- Have you had other moles removed? Were they abnormal moles or were they cancerous?
- Are your moles new, or were they previously present?
A doctor will consider whether your mole needs to be removed after an evaluation. If it is removed, the doctor will send it to a lab for testing to determine if it is cancerous.
If the test results show cancer, the doctor next removes the diseased mole and a certain area of skin around the mole on the patient’s body to ensure that all the cancer cells can be removed.
Co-reviewed by Dr. Zhang Xiaosi of the Cancer Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
Xie Liang (Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital)