Moles - symptoms & treatment

What is a skin mole?

Skin moles are spots on your skin that are typically darker than the surrounding skin. They may be flat or raised. Almost everyone has at least one mole. Most of the time, they’re nothing to worry about. However, sometimes a change in a mole or new or irregular moles can indicate an aggressive type of skin cancer called melanoma.

What does a mole look like?

Common moles usually look round and have only one color. Moles often look brown and can also be tan, black, red, pink, blue, skin-toned or colorless. Common moles don’t change from month to month.

People with fair skin may have from 10 to 40 common moles. People who have 50 or more moles that they weren’t born with have a higher risk for getting melanoma.

Atypical or irregular moles may be larger than an eraser on the end of a pencil (about ¼ inch), may have an odd shape and may have more than one color. They often appear on the areas of skin above the waist that have been exposed to the sun.

Types of moles

There are three types of moles:

• Congenital: Moles that you’re born with.
• Acquired: Moles that appear sometime after you’re born.
• Atypical (dysplastic): These are the types of moles you may need to worry about – moles that are larger than average or irregularly shaped. If you have this type of mole it can be a sign that you’re at a greater risk of developing melanoma.

Annual mole evaluations

Our dermatologists recommend annual skin cancer checks, and we recommend that you also perform self-checks for irregular moles at least once a year. If you have any moles that concern you, like new moles or moles that have changed shape, size or color, see your dermatologist right away to have them evaluated. It’s also important to have yearly skin checks so your dermatologist can look for any suspicious spots or changes.

There are five things dermatologists look for when checking for potentially irregular moles:

• Asymmetry: Does the mole look similar on both sides, or is it irregularly shaped?
• Border: Is the border of the mole well-defined and smooth, or is it jagged and irregular?
• Color: Is the mole one solid color, or does it have more than one color?
• Diameter: Is the mole larger than a standard pencil eraser?
• Evolving: Has the mole always looked like this, or has it changed in size, color, shape or thickness?

Treatment options for moles

Most moles don't need treatment. If your dermatologist suspects you have skin cancer on or around a mole, it needs to be removed. You may also want to have your mole removed for personal reasons.

Mole removal

Your dermatologist will probably be able to remove any moles during an office visit. They may do an excision, which means they cut out the whole mole and use stitches to close the skin for healing. Or they may use a surgical blade to shave off the mole. Moles can also be removed by treating with an electric current or by freezing with liquid nitrogen.

Once your mole is removed, your dermatologist will test it to see if it’s cancerous. If cancer is found, you’ll need more tests to determine whether the cancer has spread and what sort of treatment might be necessary.