A lot of people in today’s times have a couple of moles about their body or their face. These may have started out as freckles which have grown slightly. The good thing about moles is that most of them will never cause any problems whatsoever. However, if the appearance of the mole changes, you should always consult your doctor. There may be nothing sinister about the mole at all but having a doctor confirm this is important.
Because moles can look very similar to each other, it can be tricky for a doctor to differentiate one type from the other. It’s not really known why someone might have a good amount of moles although having family members with moles could mean you’re more predisposed to getting them. Another known factor is that fair skinned people may be more quite likely going to have moles.
Those individuals that have spent much of their time in the sun, particularly if they started as a child are also more quite likely going to have moles. A good amount of pregnant women end up with more moles or changes to their moles because of the pregnancy hormones.
If you visit a doctor about your moles then be expected to be asked about your medical history; the doctor may also take a photo of the moles so that they can be compared at another appointment. You may have heard of this before as it is called mole mapping. Your doctor may send you for a biopsy. This procedure is quite simple; cells are taken from the mole and then sent to be analysed.
The mole will need to be removed if any cancer cells are found. However, even if it is benign but you find it unsightly, you might decide you want to have a mole removal procedure which will require a local anaesthetic.
To protect your moles from the sun, you should wear at least factor 15 sun screen and a large sunhat but it would be better to be indoors when the sun is at its hottest.