One of the most common things to find on human skin, almost every adult has at least a few Moles. Medically called Nevi, most moles appear on the skin during childhood or adolescence and grow as the person grows. A person may normally have 10 to 40 moles on their skin.
Depending on the type of mole, they tend to change in color and either lighten or darken, which is normal. This is not unusual and does not typically indicate skin cancer. If an adult notices new moles appearing, he or she should have them assessed by a dermatologist. Sometimes this can be a sign of melanoma, a highly treatable but serious skin cancer.
Any change to a mole or the discovery of a new mole should be looked at by your doctor. Any noticeable skin changes, including a mole that begins to itch, change in any way, grow or bleed, should be seen by a doctor.
It is recommended that adults in general, and particularly adults with moles, should have a regularly scheduled complete skin checkup to assess moles.
Usually, moles do not require any treatment, but abnormal moles, moles that cause discomfort, or moles that are cosmetically undesirable to the patient can be treated in our office. Call or contact us any time to discuss any concerns you have about your moles.