A mole is a formation of melanocytic cells that accumulate and produce the pigment melanin, which protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation. In fact, moles are a congenital malformation of the skin that occurs due to a violation of the laying of cells – melanoblasts, as a result of which they accumulate in certain areas of the skin and transform into nevocyte cells.
Moles are not only congenital, but also acquired. During life, nevi can appear during periods of hormonal storms – puberty, pregnancy, etc. or after excessive sunburn.
Not all formations that appear on the body are moles. Sometimes seborrheic keratoses, vitiligo, solar lentigo are mistaken for nevi. Also, not all moles are potentially dangerous. Only complex nevi that contain a border deoderm component can be reborn into a malignant formation.
Some encouraging statistics. 90-95% of the population has pigmented lesions that can mimic melanoma. Skin cancer is a fairly rare disease (melanoma accounts for only 1-2% of all cancers). And yet, with over 232,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year worldwide, caution has never hurt anyone.
In the USA, the ABCD test was developed, which allows a person to independently identify a dangerous mole.
So, a dangerous mole:
A (asymmetry) – asymmetric
B (boundary) – borders – with uneven contours
C (color) – color, uneven coloring
D (dimention) – the maximum horizontal dimension (more than 6 mm). Melanoma always looks like a pigmented formation of a heterogeneous brown or black color with uneven borders, an asymmetric shape.
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You should also be concerned if:
1. Mole appeared recently
All nevi that appear after 25–30 years of age are dysplastic (not like typical moles) and potentially dangerous.
2 …growing fast
You should be wary if within 3 months education has increased one and a half times.
3. There are a lot of moles on the body
An indicator of the risk of developing melanoma can be the total number of nevi (more than 30). Doctors strongly recommend such people to sunbathe exclusively in the shade.
4… was injured
Traumatization is one of the most negative factors that can provoke the appearance of melanoma. An injury accompanied by bleeding is a reason for an emergency visit to a doctor. Most often, moles are injured when shaving, while washing with a hard washcloth.
5. hair began to fall out of the mole
This sign indicates the destruction of hair follicles by tumor cells.
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