Moles and Fate Folklore has it that “a mole in the middle of the hair means no worries about food and clothing” and “a mole on the palm of the hand means you hold a lot of power”. In addition, a recent interesting study also concluded that people with more moles live longer. However, scientifically speaking, the location of moles has nothing to do with fate. Sometimes, moles in so-called “lucky” locations can become cancerous and even life-threatening. Moles and Cancer According to the location of mole cells in the skin, moles can be categorized into junctional moles, mixed moles and intradermal moles. Junctional nevus: It can occur in any part of the body. Those that occur in the glans, hands, feet, perineal area or scrotum are mostly junctional nevi. Most of the flat nevus-like damages are suggestive of junctional nevus. Some junctional nevi may become mixed nevi or intradermal nevi in adulthood. Some of them may undergo malignant changes. Mixed nevus: Mostly seen in older children or adults, most of the lesions are slightly elevated above the skin surface, yellowish brown to brown in color, with hairy or hairless surface. It is a transitional state from junctional nevus to intradermal nevus. Intradermal nevus: Mostly seen in adults, it is the most common pigmented nevus, which is hemispherical and elevated, with a tip or papilloma, brown or black in color, or skin color, with hair on the surface. Most of the papillomatous lesions and hemispherical and tipped lesions are suggestive of intradermal nevi. In elderly patients, intradermal nevus may gradually flatten and subside. Generally, they do not develop malignant changes. If the nevus suddenly increases in size within a short period of time. If the nevus suddenly increases in size within a short period of time and rapidly forms a raised nodule with deepening color, one should be alerted. The nevus keeps expanding outward, its boundary is blurred, even pseudopods appear, when it expands to a certain extent, papillary proliferation or ulceration occurs, forming small ulcers (often in the form of spit), the surface is easy to bleed, ooze, or covered with bloody scabs, and black dots, black halos, or hyperpigmented nodules often appear in the surroundings, and lymph nodes of the area near the nevus are often enlarged, which can be touched. At the same time, patients feel localized tingling, burning and painful discomfort. This is something we all need to be vigilant about and go to the hospital as early as possible for examination and treatment. Mole Removal Methods Currently, common methods of mole removal include laser, electrocautery, freezing, chemical cauterization, ionization and surgical excision. It is important to note that street “mole spotting” often leads to malignant melanoma due to stimulation of melanocytes. Most of the moles are cauterized with strong acid or alkali chemicals, the depth of which is not easy to grasp, and often cause depressed scars due to excessive cauterization. Freezing the mole with liquid nitrogen. Our experience is that moles with a diameter of less than 3mm can be removed by laser or electrocautery, but if the diameter is greater than 5mm, the laser is likely to produce scars, and often the mole is removed, but a scar with the same shape as the mole area is left behind. Surgical excision can remove the mole once and for all, and if the mole has the possibility of malignant transformation, after excision, it can be examined by pathological tissue, and surgical excision has the best therapeutic effect. For small sized flaky moles and striated moles. Based on our experience in cosmetic surgery, we will carefully suture the nevus after pike excision along the texture or folds of the skin in order to minimize the traces of the wound. If the area of the nevus exceeds the limit of direct suture, or if there will be a large tension when it is barely sutured, which will cause displacement and deformation of the neighboring organs, it is feasible to perform staged excision and suture surgery. For larger nevus, excision and skin grafting is necessary. Full-thickness or medium-thickness skin piece on the face, if conditions permit, can be used to repair the trauma after nevus excision with local skin flap, and can get a better appearance. Medium-thickness skin grafting is feasible in general areas. It can also be combined with the staged excision method to remove the nevus to its maximum extent and then perform skin grafting to reduce the area of the graft. If the skin expansion method is suitable, this is the best treatment method with the best shape effect. In the case of a giant nevus of extra large size, due to insufficient skin supply, selective excision can be limited to the part that hinders the appearance or the part with large lesion changes for the lesion that has no tendency to malignant transformation. In the end, doctors have to adopt different treatment plans for different cases. In conclusion, we should not take moles lightly, nor should we be “rash”; we should understand the basics of moles and consult our doctors in a timely manner. Understanding the basics of moles and seeking help from doctors in a timely manner will enable us to make a clear diagnosis and maintain good health!