Moles are very commonly found on skin. Every human has about 10 moles and less than 40 moles that are bening with small hair growths. As characterised these moles are protuberance on the skin when cells grow in excess and are not distributed evenly thereby accumulating in just one area. Clustered formations that are symmetrical and sometime non-symmetrical occurring during excessive growth of melanocytes or pigmented cells. Though this moles protruding or flat or hairy are bening they stay the same throughout years.
Even I had similar moles on my body which seemed alright when one day I noticed a dark brown pigmented mole developing on my left shoulder. Is is a cause of worry? Initially when the mole started developing there was nothing unusual about its presence. Over time, the size shape and color began to change which raised an alarm.
When you notice significant changes in the size, shape, or color of a mole, it is essential to seek medical attention promptly. While most moles are benign and pose no cause for concern, any unusual changes should be evaluated by healthcare professionals, such as those at an urgent care Elmhurst, Queens.
How my Melanoma Got Diagnosed
The changing appearance of mole on my left shoulder raised alarm when it started to change its color and size. I went to see a skin specialist which introduced me to Melanoma after a number of tests. Melanoma was what according to him I was diagnosed with. Before the introduction to this term, I had no idea what I am about to witness next.
As I stayed in Brazil, I was constantly in contact with sun rays which according to the doctor is the biggest reason for the development of this cancer. Sunburns can be easily seen on my body which lead to this conclusion.
What is Melanoma?
Unfortunately, I had developed a rare skin cancer that is termed as Melanoma. Although occurrence of Melanoma is rare, this type of skin cancer spread sporadically which was the major cause of worry. The cancer develop from melanocytes that mutate in huge numbers causing cancerous production. The cells are mostly found on the skin but can also develop on eyes and other parts of the body, but very rarely in the intestines. The fair skinned the person is with greater exposure to sun, the higher the chances are of getting affected.
Can Dark People get Affected
With too much exposure to sun, melanocytes are mostly affected in people with fair skin and all those having darker complexions are less likely to develop such a condition.
Causes of Melanoma
Overexposure to sun being one of the reason for developing skin cancers, there are some other reason as well which can propel its growth.
- This include the presence of atypical moles on the body
- Susceptibility to developing freckles on the skin because of exposure to sun.
- Presence of spots on the skin such as grey-brown spot, light spots and sun spots
- Birthmarks that are present since birth are also characterized to be one of the reasons.
- Light coloured eyes
- Pale skin that is unlikely to get tanned in skin but often burns leaving redness and spots.
- History of organ transplant
- A family history of developing Melanoma can also cause genetic mutations in the body
No, not necessarily. Rather, having a hairy mole on the body is normal and are bening. They tend to look atypical but what happens is that such mole develop on hair follicles. As they grow hair follicles also grow with the mole developing hair on its openings. Witnessing more than one or two hair on the mole is not unusual. In some cases, the hair growing out of the mole are thicker and prominent than hair on other part of the body. The thickness is solely because of excess pigmentation around the mole area and is not a cause of concern. Hairy mole are most common and are non-cancerous.
Prognosis of Melanoma
Melanoma also develop in stages and the early the diagnosis the early the chance of prognosis and survival from the cancer. Though this skin cancer can go into metastasis, the only prognosis is being proactive and early detection. As the cancer grows, it spreads deep inside the lymph nodes forming tumors throughout the body which then becomes difficult to cure even with chemotherapies or radiations
By being proactive means being aware of once body and how it reacts to certain environment. Avoiding exposure to sun and by using sunscreen protection is the best way to get rid of such cancerous developments.