Itchy Mole

If you have developed itching in one of the moles on your body, without waiting any further, the first thing to do is to get it checked by a dermatologist. The reason being that itchy moles have high probability to turn out to be cancerous. Malignant Melanoma, a form of skin cancer, may develop in certain type of moles. This skin cancer is fatal and thus should be detected as early as possible and treated. Here is some more information on skin moles which will help you distinguish between normal moles and the cancerous ones.

Moles on Skin

Normal Moles
There are some characteristics which are generally seen in normal moles. Firstly, normal moles are always evenly colored. The color may vary from brown to tan to black. The shape can be round or oval, but they do not have any edges as such. They can be raised or flat. As for the size, it is almost always lesser than 6 mm in diameter.

Cancerous Moles
Cancerous moles, just like normal moles, have some peculiar characteristics. If the moles suddenly change the shape or color, it is a warning sign that they could be cancerous. The second sign to look out for is the changes in the size. If you find that the mole has increased in length and width, there is a possibility that it could be cancerous. Also, if the edges change in color or thickness, it is an alarming sign too. And lastly, if the mole is bleeding, it deserves to be checked by a dermatologist immediately.

Risk Factors
There are certain misconceptions that are attached to skin moles. It is believed that only hairy moles or those on the sole of the feet can develop to be cancerous. However this is far from true. Some risk factors to look out for are - If there are a large number of moles on the body, it increases the chances of developing melanoma. If there is someone already in the family who has had this type of cancer before, this makes all the more a reason for a person to watch out for any changes or itching in moles. If the person has a sensitive skin and has experienced sunburns many times in his life, he has high chances of developing skin cancer.

Diagnosis and Treatment
In case you have an itchy mole on the back or any other body part, which displays all or some of these characteristics and you go to a dermatologist, the first thing that he will do is to examine it. Next, he will take some tissue from the skin that surrounds the mole. This tissue is then send to a pathologist for testing. If the test results show that the mole is dangerous, the patient is recommended to get it removed immediately through surgical incision.

Precautions
As itchy moles more than often develop due to exposure of the skin to the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun, so as a precaution, stay away from the sunlight, especially in the peak hours i.e. between ten in the morning to four in the evening. When out in the sun, apply sunscreen lotion with minimum SPF (sun protection film) 25. This will help in avoiding any irritation or damage to the sensitive skin areas as well as the moles.

As you can see, itchy moles on the skin should not be taken lightly in any circumstance. If you fall in the high risk category of developing a skin malignancy (see the risk factors mentioned above), make it a point that you get all the moles on your body examined by a friend or family on a regular basis, irrespective of whether they are itching or no. After all, precaution is any day better than cure!