Regarding the "mole", I believe that everyone is very familiar with it, almost everyone has more than one. However, do you understand that this seemingly ordinary "body mark" may have a potentially fatal risk?
Whether your mole is dangerous or not depends on whether there are these 5 changes
In daily life, people often refer to "moles", generally referred to as pigmented nevi, which belong to abnormal changes in the process of skin development. So, which mole on the body is benign and which one may be risky? You might as well check yourself against the following five points!
1. Look at the borders of the mole. In general, benign moles will have smooth edges and well-defined boundaries with the surrounding skin. If the edges of the mole are irregular and jagged in the short term, they should be concerned.
2. Look at the diameter of the mole. Common benign moles are usually no more than 5 mm in diameter. Moles should be alerted if they are significantly larger than 6 mm in size in a short period of time, and after the age of 45 years, new moles larger than 3 mm should be alerted.
3. Check the symmetry of the mole. Most benign nevi are symmetrical. If a symmetrical mole becomes asymmetrical in the short term, the possibility of malignant melanoma should be alerted.
4. Observe whether the mole is protruding. In the past few weeks or months, you should self-examine moles or skin spots for unusual changes. Individual early-stage melanomas may change slowly over time, with the entire tumor becoming elevated and accompanied by flaky or squamous desquamation.
5. Look at the color of the mole. Benign moles are usually monochromatic, while melanoma may appear as a dirty black color, but it can also be brown, white, blue, etc., with different shades and uneven color mixing.
Black moles that grow in 2 parts require us to be extra vigilant
1. Red spider nevi appear on the palms of the hands, and it is necessary to be alert to liver cancer
Spider nevi get their name from the spider-like shape of a spider with a red dot in the center surrounded by telangiectasia. If you press lightly with your fingers, the surrounding area will lose color. The formation of spider angiomata is associated with the weakening of the liver's inactivation of estrogen substances, so it may appear in patients with liver disease and liver cancer.
2. There is a mole-like substance in the nail, which needs to be alerted to be related to malignant melanoma
"Moles" can also appear within the nails, which are clinically known as female nevi. In general, there is no need to be overly concerned about long female nevi, but suspicion for malignant melanoma should be highened if there are black lines in the nails that are more than 3 mm wide, black lines that spread to the skin on both sides, and uneven color distribution.
It's not scary to have moles on your body, do these 3 things well
First of all, ultraviolet rays can penetrate the surface layer of human skin and stimulate mole cells and tissues to cause genetic mutations, thereby increasing the probability of cancer. That's why we emphasise the importance of taking good sun protection measures every day.
Secondly, regarding the treatment of moles, we recommend that you do not treat the same mole multiple times with lasers. If the mole is not removed after three laser treatments, the chance of malignant transformation will be relatively higher. In this case, it is recommended to go to a regular hospital and consult a professional doctor for proper treatment.
In addition, some people may think that "hair on a mole is bad and should be plucked out". However, this notion is not true. It is normal to know that the hair follicles underneath the mole cells tend to be larger, so the hair may grow thicker, longer and harder, which is normal and there is no need to deliberately pull it out to avoid overstimulation and hair infection.