The difference between benign moles and malignant moles

Moles are a relatively common skin symptom. From some perspectives, moles are divided into benign moles and malignant moles. Most moles are benign. The malignant mole we know best is melanoma. When there are some moles on the body, you must pay attention, because some moles may become cancerous. A certain degree of judgment can be made through color, edges, symmetry and so on.

Which moles may become cancerous?

1. Judge by the diameter. Common moles are generally less than 5 mm in diameter, while malignant melanomas are mostly larger than 5 mm in diameter. 2. Judge by color. Common moles are mostly brown, tan or black in color. Malignant melanoma often has a variety of colors. If the color suddenly deepens, turns black, turns blue or becomes lighter within a few months, it should be highly suspected to be malignant melanoma. 3. Judge from the edge. The edges of ordinary moles are smooth and clearly demarcated from the surrounding skin. The edges of malignant melanoma are often jagged and serrated, with unclear boundaries from surrounding normal tissues. 4. Judge from symmetry. By visual inspection, the tumor is divided into two parts in the center, and the benign mole is symmetrical on both sides. Malignant melanomas are irregular and asymmetrical in shape. 5. Judge from the changes. Ordinary moles do not change throughout the year and do not cause any discomfort. Malignant melanoma often grows larger in a short period of time, and the surrounding skin will experience bleeding, ulcers, and itching. It is difficult to heal after breaking, and may have symptoms such as ulcers or scabs, and many new small tumors will appear around it. Through the above 5 methods, we can preliminarily determine whether the "mole" is benign or malignant. Of course, the scientific way to judge is to go to a dermatologist for a pathological section, and then consider whether excision is necessary through diagnostic analysis. From a medical point of view, not all moles require surgical removal, and different moles require different treatment methods.

Clinical manifestations of moles

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.