Wednesday, May 6, 2009

What is a Mole

By Peter Petigrew

There is a mole on everyone somewhere. You may be asking, What is a mole? Well, a mole is a collection of cells called melanocyte. These cells give skin its color. If there is just one mole it is called a nevus, if there is more than one it is called a nevi. Most people are born with their moles. Ths sun just gives them color.

Moles come in a variety of sizes, colors and shapes. Most moles are brown or black, but they can be blue, translucent, red or flesh toned. Some moles are flat to the skin and others form a bulb of flesh on the surface of the skin. Most of the time, moles appear in the first twenty to thirty years of life. Your age, race, and genetics are all factors in the amount of moles and types of moles that you have. Environment also plays a factor in the development of the mole. Sun exposure is one environmental factor that plays a role in the development of moles.

A junctional nevus grows from cells in the epidermis, the outer layers of skin. This type of mole is flat and appears blackish brown. An intradermal nevus stays in the dermis, inner layer of skin. This mole is a variety of colors from brown to flesh tone. They are soft and raised. Compound nevi are mixtures of the two areas of skin and fit right in the middle. They're height is more than a junctional and less than an intradermal.

The next type of mole gives a lot of people the most scare. It is the blue nevus. The blue nevus is blue-black in color and may people often mistake it for skin cancer.

The final way to identify moles are by regularities. They do not resemble symmetrical moles and are called dysplastic moles or atypical moles. They can sometimes be cancerous and resemble melanoma. The mnemonic device ABCDs can be used to identify these irreuglarities. A is for asymmetry when one side isn't the same as the other. B is for irregular borders they are uneven. C is for color and they don't have the same color throughout. Finally, D is for diameter when one is bigger than most at 6mm.

Make sure you check your mole if it is bleeding or you see differences in an old mole you need to go to your doctor. If you catch melanoma when you first find it is easier to cure. Just be aware of any irregularities of your mole.

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