Skin moles with malignant cells

Skin moles can be considered to be harmless features in your body during most of the time. However, do not deny that these skin moles are a cause for concern. Have you heard about melanoma? This refers to the medical condition, where a person is affected by cancer in the skin. There are many intervening factors that would cause skin moles to turn into something cancerous. Those who have skin moles ought to be aware of such factors, so that it can be avoided.

One such factor is having dysplastic nevus in your body or having more than 50 moles. This does not mean, however, that anyone with many moles or dysplastic nevus will automatically have cancer. But one with lesser number of moles also has a lesser possibility of contracting skin cancer. Scientific research and studies have shed light on this.

A lot of research was also put on the other causative factors. Melanoma might also be associated with genetic factors. If it runs in your families, you can find that there is a greater chance to affect you. For instance, if you have your very close relatives like father, mother or siblings with skin cancer, then you might have a higher chance. In some cases, skin disorders like xerodermapigmentosum can be inherited and passed on. When that happens, melanoma occurrence is highly probably because of the skin's sensitivity to the sun. But you need not be alarmed by this fact, as there are wonderful remedies to solve this problem. Thanks to the advancements in technology, complete mole removal is possible. The laser surgeries undertaken by many patients with melanoma are successful solutions.

Sometimes your skin will not be naturally sensitive to sun light. But the use of certain drugs, antibiotics and antidepressants can heighten the skin's sensitivity to the sun. Some hormonal tablets can also increase possibilities of the skin turning cancerous. Your immune system will become suppressed. This will cause you to develop melanoma. This is not meant to scare people who have moles.

These are mainly stated to create more awareness among people with moles. Avoiding the causative agents would prohibit the development of melanoma. People with very fair complexion have higher sun sensitivity. It is even higher for people with blue eyes and blond hair. They need to be more careful, while traveling in summer. Getting one kind of melanoma will increase the chances of getting the other associated types. You may be aware of some people using sun lamps or tanning booths. Doctors caution people under 30 not to use these tanning booths or sun lamps, especially if they have moles. Exposure for a long period of time must also be avoided.


I hope this article helps you in understanding the how a normal skin mole becoming cancerous. Again, they are not dangerous and benign. They do not pose any threat to human beings normally. On the contrary, in some cultures, they are treated as beautiful, if they appear on certain parts of the body.

Is mole removal essential?

One may find moles to be of different types. Moles basically have three main categories. When you the know difference between these moles, you will realize whether to remove them or not.

If you have moles, is it a must to remove them?

Science students might scoff at what they would deem an absurd question. It is a different case with laymen, who tend to become apprehensive upon reading about cancer-causing moles. The process of removing skin moles is no more a difficult one.

Earlier people were trying out a lot of home remedies or other natural techniques. These days, however, mole removal can be performed only by skin surgeons using laser or excision surgery. But before undergoing this process, it is necessary to know about the various kinds of moles that might turn cancerous and the type of moles that will always stay benign.

When this differentiation is understood clearly, you will find out whether a surgery is required or not. The common moles are called as nevus and they do not cause any type of skin cancer. They may be similar to common moles but dysplastic nevus can sometimes be cancerous. Melanoma surely causes cancer.

Moles have different shapes and sizes. In others, you can see the differences in border line, surface texture and overall symmetry. There are lesser chances for common moles to reappear, once they have been successfully removed. Similarly, after removing the dysplastic nevus, you cannot expect the recurrence. But in the case of melanoma, there is no guarantee that it will not reappear. Even after a full excision surgery, you can find that some patients suffer melanoma after few years. When you compare three different forms, melanoma is the most harmful one. It can affect many parts of the body and not just a single area. However, just because a mole forms in one area does not mean other areas of the body will follow suit. Surface areas of normal moles are usually flat. They develop as smooth spots on one's skin. They can also have raised areas or bumps in some cases.

Dysplastic nevus will also have a smooth surface, but look unsightly. Unlike common moles; they do not have a proper shape or symmetry. In fact they have a pebbly appearance. Melanoma, on the other hand, has a scraped appearance. They are also lumpy and quite hard. In some instances, blood can ooze from them. 

Among the three forms of moles, nevus is round; sometimes, oval. There is no proper shape for dysplastic nevus. Similarly, melanoma also has no regular shape or symmetry. One of the easiest ways to identify, whether a mole can turn cancerous is to observe its shape.

You should consider removing your mole, if it does not have a well-define size or shape. Nevus has a distinct contour and is well separated from the skin. Melanoma, on the other hand, has blurred edges. These notched contours will blend with the skin and thus you can not differentiate between the starting point of melanoma and skin. The contour or dysplastic nevus is the same.

Moles cannot be treated harmful always. In some cultures, they are regarded as beauty spots provided they are located on a certain spots.

I sincerely hope that this article has played a very good part in giving you idea about different types of moles and their features.