| Nearly everyone has a few moles or nevi. These may have appeared inchildhood ormay have developed over time. Some moles are even presentat birth. Moles usuallydo not raise concerns other than of a cosmeticnature, but can be worrisome if theyseem to have acquired potential forbecoming malignant. While most moles and tumorsare acquired based onindividual health factor and lifestyle influences, a few oftheselesions have a Genetic component that makes them hereditary. |  |
What are moles?
Moles are a form of benign tumors that can appear as pigmented or depigmented areas of the skin or can be raised areas of skin. Moles can be of a wide variety when it comes to appearance and may be small or large, varying in color from flesh-colored to dark brown or black, smooth or hairy and broad-based or arising from a stalk.
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Types of moles
Moles have been classified based on several criteria. However, medicalclassification of moles includes:
Compound nevus: This mole is light brown or dark brown in color,may be slightly elevated from the skin surface and occurs within the dermis of theskin.
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Halo nevus: This type of nevi is pigmented and isaccompanied bya small ring of depigmented skin. A halo nevus occursalong with inflammation ofthe pigment-producing Cells of the skin andusually tends to resolve by itself.However, some variants of this molecan turn into a malignant tumor.
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Intradermal nevus: This mole is usually flesh-colored but can assumecolor tones up to brown, may be elevated or smooth and can be hairy.
Junctional nevus: This mole ranges from light brown to black incolor and is usually flat. These tend to appear over regions like the palms andsoles and in the genital region.
Lentigo: This mole is usually heavily pigmented and appears brownor black, has well-defined margins and does not change in color on exposure to thesun.
In addition to these types, there may be keratoses or Warts that appear in middleor old age, skin tags that can vary from pigmented to hyperpigmented and presentingon areas like the neck, armpit and groin and vascular lesions, including granulomasor birthmarks that may be of varying sizes and shapes. |
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Skin tumors:A growth of tissue occurring by itself and forming an abnormal mass orlump is called a tumor. If this growth does not appear to be invasive or malignant,it is defined as a Benign Tumor. Some types of benign skin tumors include.
Cherry angiomas: These appear as small, round, bright to dark-redbumps that keep increasing with age and are usually associated with no other symptoms.
Sebaceous hyperplasia: These tumors usually occur in older individualsand are rarely seen during puberty or adolescence. They usually appear on the faceand are dome-shaped and yellow in color, but are soft to the touch.
Dermoid cyst: This is the most common type of skin disorder andcan occur anywhere in the body. They can cause some discomfort, but usually appearwithout any other symptoms.
Seborrheic keratoses: These are more common in older individualsand are usually precipitated by sun exposure. Because of their warty appearancethey can be mistaken for skin cancer, but are quite harmless and can be removedwith minimal scarring. |
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Removing moles and tumors
The type of treatment undertaken for moles or tumors depends on their characteristics. While some moles or tumors are removed for cosmetic reasons,others may need removal because of their diseased nature or the potential to cause malignancy.
It is important to never treat a mole or a tumor by yourself. Thiscan cause the lesions to spread, bleed, become infected or justirritated.
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Benign skintumors can usually be removed in an outpatient procedure and will not take longerthan a few minutes when carried out by a trained professional. It is better to havethese lesions evaluated at the outset as they will need to be assessed for any cancerouspotential. If they are benign, they can be removed in case of causing cosmetic discomfort.
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