Moles
are composed of cells that have traveled to the skin from
the nervous system by the 5th month of fetal life. Many
of these cells are capable of producing dark pigment. All
moles are felt to be present in the skin at birth, or shortly
thereafter, although most darken later. Moles can change
from flat to raised any time during life. There is an average
of 15 moles on each person. If moles become cancerous, they
are called melanomans. Melanoma is a serious type of skin
cancer with a tenancy to spread quickly. The deeper the
cancer goes into the tissue the more often it spreads throughout
the body. Therefore, having is very important because the
longer the cancer remains on the skin, tendency it has to
invade deeper. There is an increased incidence of melanoma
in areas of the body that have had extensive sunlight or
a blistering sunburn. The danger signs of a mole becoming
cancerous are: increase in size, color change, bleeding,
itching, infection, or ulceration. Moles should also be
checked if they are in areas of repeated irritation or if
pigment spreads onto the surrounding skin. A burning sensation,
a pain in a mole, or redness around the mole needs to be
checked. Two other signs that show a mole at risk are: a
sudden loss color and development of satellite spots around
the mole.
