Should my mole be cut out?

  When we see a mole, both doctors and patients consider it from these two aspects: First, does it affect the aesthetics? Second, is it malignant? There are various types of moles and different naming schemes. Simply put, they are benign skin tumors composed of melanocytes and can be found anywhere in the body, but they tend to occur on the face and neck.  Because moles are mostly found on the face and neck, they inevitably become unique signs of individuals, which may have an aesthetic meaning, such as beauty moles and peach blossom moles; or they may have a “facial science” meaning, such as the “great man’s mole” on the left side of the middle of the chin. The above are good meanings. Unfortunately, more often than not, moles play the role of destroying facial aesthetics and facial features, causing some psychological burdens to aspiring men and women, and even destroying good interpersonal relationships, causing problems in employment and choosing a spouse. Then, this kind of removal based on improving the aesthetics of the appearance is necessary. Another factor that influences our decision is whether the mole is malignant or not and whether it will become malignant in the future. We first need to know what effect a malignant mole will have on our health if it is malignant. From this perspective, malignant moles can be divided into two categories, one is squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, which are skin cancers with high incidence but relatively low malignancy, and most of them can be cured by surgical excision, and only a very small proportion of advanced skin cancers may bring fatal danger; the other is melanoma, which is an extremely malignant tumor, and at present, although the treatment of melanoma has made Although the treatment of melanoma has made great progress, most of them have progressed to stage 4 by the time they are found due to poor medical awareness in China, and their mortality rate is as high as 70% to 90%, and their life expectancy is only a few months to one or two years, while the 5-year survival rate of stage 1 melanoma can reach 94%. Therefore, early detection and early treatment are especially important. Here, we especially remind that moles on the bottom of the foot should be looked at by a doctor first to determine whether they should be treated or not, although they do not affect the beauty, but melanoma is very likely, especially the kind that grows fast.  The main consideration for cutting or not cutting a mole is whether it will turn into a melanoma. The good thing is that there are still some clues that doctors can follow and make an assessment and diagnosis, and it is important to emphasize that early diagnosis is equal to saving lives. However, not all patients have easy access to a doctor at all times, and moles change throughout their lives, so self-examination is especially important.  Now I would like to introduce the methods of self-examination, and the first thing I would like to introduce is the principle of discrimination: 1. i.e. asymmetry, if the appearance of a mole is not symmetrical in the center, which means that the mole cells grow outward asymmetrically, then it may have malignant changes.  2, i.e. irregular border, like the border of a map, the edges are interlaced, which also means that the mole cells are growing outward irregularly.  3, that is, color change, the color of the mole deepens or becomes lighter, or presents different shades, the middle is deep and the edge is light; or first becomes dark and then fades to light. This is often seen when the malignant melanocytes are in the process of rapid growth and autoimmune cells are killing them.  4, that is, the size of the diameter, the diameter of moles larger than 5~6mm has a high possibility of malignant transformation.  5, i.e., becoming larger or progressing, if the mole becomes larger than 5mm, or one of the changes in the above points, it is a precursor of malignant change only, and should seek medical attention in time.  Secondly, in the yellow race, melanoma is more likely to occur at the end of the limbs (42%), so special attention should be paid to moles occurring in the hands and feet, and another part occurs in the mucous membranes (23%), so moles in the mucous membranes such as the mouth and lips and genital tract should not be taken lightly.