Skin Moles and Cancer – Can They Develop Into Cancerous Growths?

Skin Moles and Cancer Link - Skin Moles are very common indeed. In fact, the majority of adults have about fifteen to twenty found in various places on their body. Some individuals may have even more. Most of the skin moles usually appear during the first 20 years of their life.

Since they are classified as a tumor, this makes moles the most common tumor among humans. Fortunately, the vast majority of them are harmless and they will not cause any problem except perhaps appear ugly.

Some of them, however, can be precancerous and may develop into very dangerous types of skin cancer. Your family doctor or skin specialist is the one that can diagnose the risk of a growth. If a skin mole reappears again, it may be sign of a possible melanoma.

Even though that may sound scary, most growths are still perfectly harmless. The harmful or dangerous ones are called dysplastic nevi. These are the ones that can eventually become melanoma.

Here are some signs that your skin mole might eventually turn cancerous. This is not a complete list and you should visit your doctor as soon as possible if you see the following changes. Cancerous skin moles may show one, some, or all of the following characteristics:

Spontaneously bleed
Change in size and colour
Inconsistent shape or colour
Larger than an eraser on a pencil
Pain or itchiness
Inflammatory changes that doesn’t seem to be caused by any known factors

If you are concerned about a skin mole being cancerous or dangerous, get it looked at by your family doctor. Seeing your doctor is critical, not only to put your mind at ease, but to make sure that you get the right treatment quickly. You do not want to find out months or years later that the mole has turned cancerous and has spread to other parts of your body.