In the article we will figure out how to distinguish a mole from melanoma.
Absolutely every person has moles, but not everyone knows that they can be dangerous. That is why you should carefully monitor their condition and appearance.
A mole is a benign formation that consists of epithelial cells rich in melanocytes. Nevi can appear on human skin from birth or occur later without causing discomfort. However, there are moles that can degenerate into malignant formations - melanomas.
Everyone should know how to distinguish a mole from melanoma.
What are there?
In order to understand what are the main differences between a mole and melanoma, you should study the types of nevus.
Specialists divide moles into:
- Vascular.
- White.
- Birthmarks.
Many people wonder which moles are dangerous and cause melanoma.
Classify themtaking into account the depth of origin, color, size, degree of danger of transformation into cancer.
Birthmarks are quite often inherited, like eye color, nose shape. The cause of moles on the body is a large accumulation of abnormal cells saturated with melanin in one place. It is melanin that determines the color of human skin and moles. Most often there are moles that have a brown color of various shades. The saturation of the brown color of the nevus directly depends on the genotype.
Warm blue nevi are much rarer than brown moles. The blue color is due to the content of white or pink melanocytes in the epidermal cells.
It is important not to confuse brown plaque-like spots with moles, as this is a seborrheic dermatoma. Red spots are hemangiomas, and hanging moles are called acrochordomas.
Size
Nevuses can have a different size. It is customary to refer moles 1-15 mm to small ones, 15-100 mm to medium ones, and 100 mm or more to large ones. Giant moles can cover most of the body, face.
Classification by location
Also, moles are classified according to their location:
- Borderline. They are located on the border of the skin and epidermis. They are always flat and smooth in appearance, but tend to enlarge and become bulging under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and hormones.
- Epidermal. Localized in the upper layers of the epidermis. Their shape is smooth, slightly convex overdermis.
- Intradermal. Localized in the depths of the skin. The shape is always convex, their surface can be smooth or rough. Hairs often grow from such a mole.
And what moles look like melanoma?
On the risk of developing pathology
Dermatologists classify nevi according to the risk of developing oncology:
- Not dangerous. Such moles degenerate into cancers extremely rarely. Such a rebirth can only occur with mechanical damage, which can occur when shaving or by irritating clothing.
- Dangerous. Moles of Ota, blue nevi, borderline moles, pigmented congenital huge nevi, and atypical moles are usually classified as dangerous. Such formations often transform into melanoma, which should be removed immediately after rebirth and confirmation of the diagnosis.
Birthmarks are formed under the influence of several factors: hereditary, intrauterine anomalies of cellular development, oxygen starvation of the fetus, hormonal disorders.
How do you tell a mole from a melanoma?
Melanoma is a cancer that arises from melanocytes, pigmented dermal cells that grow out of control.
The reason for the development of this type of malignant formation is not fully known to specialists. Melanoma occupies only 1% of all cases of malignant tumors. Despite such a low prevalence rate, with this pathologya high mortality rate of up to 80% was noted. This feature is due to rapid metastasis to the liver, lymphatic system, lungs, bones, brain.
As a rule, the tumor is localized on the skin, but there is a possibility of its appearance in the eye, on the mucous membranes of the rectum, vagina, mouth, nose.
Types of melanomas
To understand how melanoma differs from a mole, you need to understand its varieties in detail. Specialists divide melanomas into:
- Lentigo. This pathology is often observed in elderly patients. Melanoma of this type can be localized on the neck, face. Above the surface of the skin, the formation protrudes slightly.
- Knotty. Melanoma of this form is an aggressive oncological formation. Outwardly, it looks like a cluster of nodules that have a different color and size. The formation may have a purple, black color, capable of rising high above the surface of the skin.
- Surface. This form of melanoma is the most insidious type of cancer. Since the tumor does not rise above the skin, it is difficult to distinguish from a nevus.
- Subungual. Most often, subungual melanoma is located under the nail on the big toe. This growth is found in 1 in 10 patients with melanoma.
The first and main sign of the degeneration of a nevus into melanoma is a significant visual difference from other moles on the body.
Where to check a mole for oncology? This can be done by a specialist in both a municipal medical institution and a private clinic.
Signs, symptoms
Experts say that any person, having studied the features of the degeneration of a nevus into melanoma, is able to recognize the transformation of a mole. There are several main signs by which you can distinguish a mole from melanoma:
- Violation of the asymmetry. Ordinary moles have a completely symmetrical shape. When drawing an imaginary line through the middle of the nevus, you can find that its halves are completely identical. If melanoma is suspected, the halves of the formation will differ from each other.
- Blurred edges. He althy spots have clear boundaries. If the mole is reborn, its edges become blurred, uneven.
- Change the hue. If the nevus is painted in several colors or shades, you should pay attention to it and consult a doctor. Normal moles are usually a single color, but multiple shades of the same color, either lighter or darker, are acceptable.
- Increase in size. If the mole has increased in size to a pencil eraser, then a doctor should examine it. The need for examination remains for large moles that do not have changes in symmetry, border, color.
- Nevuses should also be examined by a specialist if their border, color, symmetry, number have changed.
The considered signs of the transformation of a nevus into melanoma may be accompanied by the development of itching, the appearance of bleeding.
What does skin melanoma look like at an early stage? At these stages of development, itcauses any discomfort, signs of a malignant tumor are practically not manifested. However, this does not mean at all that self-examination is not necessary. The ability to independently distinguish simple nevi from malignant formations will help sound the alarm in time. Any changes in a normal mole can be considered the initial symptoms of the process of transformation into melanoma.
When new nevi appear, you should seek advice from an oncologist or dermatologist. It is important to understand that a malignant lesion does not have to be different from a normal nevus for each of these criteria. It is possible to regard a mole as suspicious if even one sign of degeneration appears.
It is recommended to check all stains present on the body once a month. Any change should be consulted with a physician.
Reasons for rebirth
The most common reasons for the degeneration of moles into melanoma are mechanical damage and an overdose of ultraviolet radiation. It is important to note that the current opinion that white people are more susceptible to melanoma is erroneous. Melanoma can develop in anyone, regardless of their skin type.
The reason for an immediate visit to the doctor should be tingling inside the nevus, peeling, itching, any discoloration of the mole, its discoloration, redness, overgrowth, increase in number.
How quickly does melanoma develop from a mole? Unfortunately, the main dangerof this disease is the rapid growth and rapid spread of metastases.
Risk group
The risk group includes people with large birthmarks or more than 50 moles. They are shown a periodic examination by a dermatologist. Some people, often visiting the solarium, often cover up moles, assuming that they are thereby protected from ultraviolet radiation. However, under the sticker, a greenhouse effect occurs, further increasing the likelihood of cancer cells.
In some cases, melanoma appears after the removal of a mole. Before agreeing to a resection of a nevus, it is important to be fully examined in order to exclude the possibility of melanoma.
If the mole does not cause any discomfort, but looks unaesthetic, it is better to refuse to remove it. However, if there is a need to remove it, you should not postpone the manipulation.
Melanoma is fairly easy to diagnose at the initial stages of its development. Many nevi that have an abnormal cellular structure are similar in specificity - they have blurry edges and an uneven color.
After removal of moles, only defective spots can degenerate into a malignant formation. Therefore, it is important to prevent mechanical damage to the nevus - do not tear it off, do not cut it off when shaving, do not irritate with clothes, do not scratch it.
Risk factors
It should be noted that the exact causes of the degeneration of a nevus into melanoma are still unknown. However, experts identify factors that canprovoke the transformation of the mole. These factors include:
- Age over 30.
- Long stays in the solarium, under the sun.
- Sunburns that were received in childhood and made the skin unstable to melanoma.
- The presence of a large number of moles on the body.
- Increased tendency to freckle.
It is important to remember that melanoma can develop on a clean area of skin, and not just degenerate from a nevus.
But in any case, if in doubt, it is better to delete.
Preventive measures
There are some precautions you should take to reduce your chances of developing melanoma:
- It is necessary to visit the solarium no more than once in 7 days. Keep in mind that a 15-minute visit equates to a 4-hour sun exposure.
- You can reduce the risk of developing a malignant tumor, most importantly, avoid injury to papillomas, moles.
- Sunbathing should be before 10 am or after 5 pm.
Conclusion
Following these basic rules, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing skin cancer. In addition, it should be remembered that it is strictly forbidden to independently remove warts, papillomas, nevi.
We looked at how to distinguish a mole from melanoma.
