A mole suddenly appeared on my chest

Moles can appear on certain parts of the body. Some are present from childhood, while others appear later. A mole is a deposit of melanin, so it is also called a melanocytic nevus, and sometimes it may become diseased. The circumstances of moles vary. What should someone do if a mole suddenly grows on the chest? Although most people do not take the formation of moles seriously, this is a misunderstanding. If the formation of moles is not treated correctly, it may lead to serious consequences.

Pigmented nevus is a benign neoplasm composed of nevus cells, also known as nevus cell nevus, cellular nevus, melanocytic nevus, and nevus. This disease is common and occurs in almost everyone, from infancy to the elderly. The number of cases increases with age, and often increases significantly during puberty. Women tend to have more moles than men, and white people tend to have more moles than black people. Occasionally seen on mucosal surfaces. There are various types of clinical manifestations. The color is mostly dark brown or ink black, and a few are colorless.

This disease is a developmental malformation. Due to accidental abnormalities in the migration of melanocytes from the neural crest to the epidermis, melanocytes are locally aggregated.

Clinical manifestations

The basic lesions are generally macules, papules, nodules, verrucous or papillary with a diameter of <6mm, mostly round, often symmetrically distributed, with clear boundaries, regular edges and uniform color. The number varies, from single, several to dozens, and some damaged areas may have a short and thick black hair extending to the root of the tree. Due to the different pigment content of nevus cells, clinically they may appear brown, tan, blue-black, black or normal skin color, light yellow, or dark red. Sun exposure can increase the number of moles in exposed areas. According to the distribution of nevus cells, they are divided into junctional nevus, intradermal nevus and mixed nevus.

1. Junctional nevus

They are present at birth or occur shortly after birth and are usually small, 1 to 6 mm in diameter, smooth, hairless, flat or slightly raised above the skin surface, and are light brown to dark brown macules. It can occur anywhere in the body.

2. Mixed mole

It looks similar to a junctional nevus, but may be higher and sometimes have hair protruding from it. It is more common in children and adolescents.

3. Intradermal nevus

It is common in adults and is a hemispherical raised papule or nodule with a diameter of several millimeters to several centimeters. It has a smooth or papillary surface or has a pedicle and may contain hair. Intradermal nevi generally do not increase in size. It is more common in the head and neck.

Pigmented nevi are unstable and often undergo a growth and evolution process from maturity to aging. Most moles start out as small, flat junctional nevi, then develop into compound nevi and finally become intradermal nevi.

When a junctional nevus becomes malignant, there is often mild pain in the local area. Be alert if you experience burning and stinging, or if small satellite spots appear at the edges, or if the area suddenly grows larger, darkens in color, or has an inflammatory reaction, or ruptures or bleeds.

diagnosis

The diagnosis of this disease is mainly based on clinical manifestations. Varying numbers of macules, papules or nodules appear on the skin or mucous membranes. They are brown, brown, blue-black, black, dark red, etc. They are round, with clear boundaries and smooth surface. The diagnosis is not difficult.

Differential Diagnosis

Childhood junctional nevus should be differentiated from lentigo and freckles. Compound nevi and intradermal nevi should be differentiated from seborrheic keratosis, pigmented basal cell carcinoma, dermatofibroma, neurofibroma, etc. The differential diagnosis from malignant melanoma is that the latter is often asymmetric, has unclear boundaries, rough edges, and uneven colors. The tumor grows rapidly, is easy to rupture and bleed, and can form irregular scars. The tumor cells are often abnormal.

treat

Reduce friction and external factors that damage the mole. Except for cosmetic reasons, no treatment is generally required. Pigmented nevi occurring on the palms, soles, waist, armpits, groin, shoulders and other areas prone to friction should be closely observed, especially those with irregular edges, uneven colors and a diameter ≥1.5 cm. If it is found to be rapidly expanding, partially rising, ulcerating, or bleeding, it should be removed promptly. For larger lesions, surgical excision and skin grafting are performed; for smaller and superficial lesions, carbon dioxide laser treatment can be given. The treatment must be thorough, otherwise residual nevus cells are prone to recurrence.