How to distinguish a mole from melanoma? Removing moles. Rebirth of a mole into melanoma

The article will figure out how to distinguish a mole from melanoma.

Absolutely every person has moles, but not everyone knows that they can be dangerous. That is why you should carefully monitor their condition and appearance.

A mole is a benign mass that consists of epithelial cells rich in melanocytes. Nevuses can appear on human skin from birth or occur later, without causing uncomfortable sensations. However, there are moles that can degenerate into malignant formations - melanomas.

How to distinguish a mole from melanoma, everyone should know.

Which are there?

In order to understand what are the main differences between a mole and melanoma, one should study the types of nevus.

Specialists divide moles into:

1. Vascular
2. White.
3. Birthmarks.

Many are interested in which moles are dangerous and cause melanoma.

They are classified according to the depth of nucleation, color, size, degree of danger of transformation into a cancerous formation.

Birthmarks are often inherited, like eye color, nose shape. The cause of moles on the body is a large accumulation of abnormal cells saturated with melanin in one place. It is melanin that determines the color of human skin and moles. Most often, moles are found that have a brown color in various shades. The saturation of the brown color of the nevus directly depends on the genotype.

Nevuses of a warm blue shade are much less common than brown moles. The blue color is due to the content in the epidermal cells of white or pink melanocyte.

It is important not to confuse brown patches in the form of plaques with moles, since this is a seborrheic dermatoma. Red spots are hemangiomas, and hanging moles are called acrochordomas.

The size

Nevi can have different sizes. It is customary to classify 1–15 mm moles as small, 15–100 mm as medium, and 100 as more as large as large. Gigantic moles can cover most of the body, face.

Classification by location

Moles are also classified according to their location:

1. Borderline. Located on the border of the skin and epidermis. In appearance, they are always flat and smooth, but they tend to increase and become convex under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and hormones.
2. Epidermal. They are localized in the upper layers of the epidermis. Their shape is smooth, slightly convex above the dermis.
3. Intradermal. Localized in the depths of the skin. The shape is always convex, their surface can be smooth or rough. From such a mole, hairs often grow.

And which moles look like melanoma?

According to the danger of developing pathology

Dermatologists classify nevuses according to the danger of developing oncology:

1. Non-hazardous. Such moles degenerate into cancers extremely rarely. Such degeneration can occur only with mechanical damage, which can occur when shaving or by irritation of clothing.
2. Dangerous. Ota moles, blue nevi, borderal moles, pigmented congenital huge nevi, atypical moles are usually considered dangerous. Such formations often transform into melanoma, which should be removed immediately after degeneration and confirmation of the diagnosis.

Birthmarks are formed under the influence of several factors: hereditary, intrauterine abnormalities of cell development, fetal oxygen starvation, hormonal disorders.

How to distinguish a mole from melanoma?

Melanoma is a cancerous tumor that appears from melanocytes - pigmented dermal cells that begin to grow uncontrollably.

The reason for the development of this type of malignancy is not fully known to specialists. Melanoma accounts for only 1% of all cases of malignant tumors. Despite such a low prevalence rate, with this pathology, a high mortality rate was noted - up to 80%. This feature is due to the rapid metastasis to the liver, lymphatic system, lungs, bones, and brain.

As a rule, a tumor is localized on the skin, but there is a chance of its appearance in the eye, on the mucous membranes of the rectum, vagina, mouth, nose.

Types of Melanoma

To understand how melanoma differs from a mole, it is necessary to understand its varieties in detail. Specialists subdivide melanomas into:

1. Lentigo. Such a pathology is often observed in elderly patients. Melanoma of this species can be localized on the neck, face. Above the skin surface, the formation protrudes slightly.
2. Knotty. Melanoma of this form is an aggressive oncological formation. Outwardly, it looks like a cluster of nodules with different colors and sizes. The formation can have a crimson, black color, can rise high above the surface of the skin.
3. Superficial. This form of melanoma is the most insidious type of cancer. Since the tumor does not rise above the skin, it is difficult to distinguish it from the nevus.
4. Under the nail. Most often, subungual melanoma is located under the nail on the big toe. Such a formation is found in 1 out of 10 patients with melanoma.

The first and main sign of degeneration of the nevus into melanoma is a significant visual difference from other moles on the body.

Where to check a birthmark for oncology? This can be done by a specialist both in the municipal medical institution and in a private clinic.

Signs, symptoms

Experts argue that any person, having studied the features of the transformation of the nevus into melanoma, is able to recognize the transformation of a mole. There are several main signs by which you can distinguish a mole from melanoma:

1. Asymmetry violation. Ordinary moles have a completely symmetrical shape. When drawing an imaginary line through the middle of the nevus, you can find that its halves are completely identical. If melanoma is suspected, the halves of the formation will differ from each other.
2. Blurred edges. Healthy spots have clear boundaries. If the mole is reborn, its edges become blurred, uneven.
3. Change the hue. If the nevus is painted in several colors or shades, you should pay attention to it and consult a doctor. Normal moles, as a rule, are painted in one color, however, the presence of several shades of the same color is also acceptable - lighter or darker.
4. Increase in size. If the mole has increased in size to a pencil eraser, then it should be examined by a doctor. The need for examination remains for large moles that do not have changes in symmetry, border, color.
5. Nevuses should also be examined by a specialist if their border, color, symmetry, quantity have changed.

The considered signs of nevus transformation into melanoma can be accompanied by the development of itching, the appearance of bleeding.

What does early-stage skin melanoma look like? At these stages of development, it does not cause any discomfort, signs of a malignant tumor practically do not appear. However, this does not mean at all that self-examination is not necessary. The ability to independently distinguish simple nevi from malignant formations will help to sound the alarm on time. Any changes in an ordinary mole can be considered the initial symptoms of the process of transformation into melanoma.

If new nevi appear, you should seek the advice of an oncologist or dermatologist. It is important to understand that a malignant formation does not have to differ from a normal nevus according to each of these criteria. It is possible to regard a mole as suspicious if even one sign of degeneration appears.

It is recommended to check all spots on the body once a month. If any changes occur, consult your doctor.

Reasons for rebirth

The most common causes of mole degeneration into melanoma are mechanical damage and an overdose of ultraviolet radiation. It is important to note that the current belief that white-skinned people are more susceptible to melanoma is erroneous. Melanoma can develop in any person, regardless of their skin type.

The reason for an immediate visit to the doctor should be tingling inside the nevus, peeling, itching, any violation of the color of the mole, its discoloration, redness, excessive growth, increase in quantity.

How fast is melanoma from a mole? Unfortunately, the main danger of this disease lies in the rapid growth and rapid spread of metastases.

Risk group

The risk group includes people who have large birthmarks or more than 50 moles. They are shown a periodic examination by a dermatologist. Some people, often visiting a solarium, often stick moles, suggesting that they protect them from ultraviolet radiation. However, under the sticker there is a greenhouse effect, which further increases the likelihood of the formation of cancer cells.

In some cases, melanoma appears after removal of the mole. Before agreeing to resection of the nevus, it is important to be fully examined to exclude the likelihood of melanoma.

If the mole does not cause any discomfort, but looks unaesthetically, it is better to refuse to remove it. However, if there is a need to remove it, you should not postpone the manipulation.

Melanoma is easy enough to diagnose at the initial stages of its development. Many nevi with an abnormal cellular structure are similar in specificity - they have blurry edges and uneven color.

After removal of moles, only defective spots can degenerate into a malignant formation. Therefore, it is important to prevent mechanical damage to the nevus - do not tear it, do not cut it when shaving, do not irritate with clothing, do not scratch.

Risk factors

It should be noted that the exact reasons for the degeneration of the nevus into melanoma are still unknown. However, experts identify factors that can provoke the transformation of a mole. These factors include:

1. Age from 30 years.
2. Long stays in the solarium, under the sun.
3. Sunburn, which was received in childhood and made the skin unstable to melanoma.
4. The presence of a large number of moles on the body.
5. Increased tendency to the appearance of freckles.

It is important to remember that melanoma can develop on a clean area of ​​the skin, and not just degenerate from the nevus.

But in any case, at the slightest doubt, it is better to carry out the removal.

Preventative measures

To reduce the likelihood of developing melanoma, you should follow some precautions:

1. You must visit the solarium no more than once during 7 days. Keep in mind that a fifteen-minute visit is equivalent to a four-hour exposure to the sun.
2. You can reduce the risk of developing a malignant tumor, most importantly, to avoid injury to papillomas and moles.
3. Sunbathing should be before 10 am or after 17 pm.

Conclusion

By following such basic rules, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing skin cancer. In addition, it should be remembered that it is strictly forbidden to independently remove warts, papillomas, nevi.

We looked at how to distinguish a mole from melanoma.