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You have this mole. Maybe it’s been with you since high school, or maybe it’s a more recent acquisition. Either way, something about it doesn’t look quite right. The color is a little off or the edges seem too jagged. Is it your imagination, or has it gotten bigger? Should you mention it to your dermatologist?
A mole is really nothing more than a collection of pigment cells called melanocytes. Most of us have between 10 and 40 moles, which we started collecting in childhood. By around age 40, most of us will have accumulated all the moles we’ll ever possess.
Is it a normal mole — or cancer?
When pigment cells are “well behaved,” meaning they multiply only when needed, a mole is benign. “But as with any cell type in the body, there is the potential for transformation into something dangerous or cancerous,” explains Allison Darland, a dermatologist at University of Michigan Health.
Atypical moles are larger than usual or they have unusual features, like uneven borders and multiple colors. “An atypical mole is not a skin cancer, but having these moles is a risk factor for developing melanoma,” says Neelam Vashi, a dermatologist at Boston Medical Center.
It’s rare for an existing mole to turn into melanoma — fewer than 1 in 10,000 do. Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer because it has the potential to spread into your lymph nodes and other parts of your body. It’s also very treatable when caught at an early stage. “It’s always better to either remove them or monitor them frequently, so that if a melanoma arises, it can be detected and treated as early as possible,” Vashi says.
To learn whether you have any questionable spots, do monthly skin checks. Using a mirror or with the help of your partner, scan your entire body to look for any new or changing moles.
The ABCDEs of moles
Unless you have a medical degree, you probably won’t know which moles are harmless and which ones could be cancer. That’s why dermatologists have come up with a few simple tricks to help you spot the warning signs.