Examining Your Moles

Examining Your Moles

Do you examine your moles regularly? Changes in moles can happen at any time and may be a sign of melanoma, a potentially deadly cancer. The dermatologists at Shady Grove Dermatology in Rockville, MD, provide skin cancer exams and offer a range of skin cancer treatment options if a mole does happen to be cancerous.

What should I look for when I conduct a home exam?

Keeping your ABCs in mind will help you ensure that you don't miss any suspicious moles. When you check your moles, consider:

• Asymmetry: Is the mole perfectly round or is one side a different shape or size?
• Border: Healthy moles have perfectly smooth borders. If the edge of a mole is scalloped, irregular, or poorly defined, it's a good idea to schedule an appointment with your Rockville, MD, skin doctor.
• Color: Moles that don't have a consistent color or that change color should be examined.
• Diameter: Large moles, those bigger than a pencil eraser, are also a cause for concern.
• Evolving: Look for moles that don't quite look the same as usual. Changes in color, shape, or size can occur if you have melanoma.

In addition to these change, a few other signs may indicate a problem with a mole. If your normally smooth mole becomes bumpy or begins to bleed, you may need a biopsy to determine if the mole has become cancerous. Itching or flaking may also be warning signs.

Be sure to examine every inch of your body during your home exam. A hand mirror can be very useful when you need to check moles in out-of-the-way places.

When should I do if I notice any of these changes?

Any change in a mole, even if it seems minor to you, should be reported to your dermatologist. If your doctor thinks that the mole is suspicious, he or she will remove it and send it to a laboratory for a biopsy. Despite the change in appearance, it's very possible that your mole isn't cancerous.

Should the biopsy determine that the mole is cancerous, you'll need surgery to remove all traces of cancer from your skin. Thanks to innovative surgical techniques, like Mohs micrographic surgery, scarring can be minimized in many cases.

See your dermatologist as soon as possible if you notice any changes in your moles. Call the dermatologists at Shady Grove Dermatology in Rockville, MD, at (301) 840-2266 to schedule an appointment.