Strange mole changes after spending time in the sun? Get your moles checked at Clinica London! Part 1

Strange mole changes after spending time in the sun? Get your moles checked at Clinica London!

What are moles?

Moles are usually a very normal and common type of raised brown or dark skin growth that appears during childhood and adolescence. Usually, we have at least 10-40 moles, and they will gradually change over our lifetime, often becoming less apparent or fading over time.
Moles are harmless; however, they have a very high risk of becoming cancerous with sun exposure and change to their DNA. They can develop into skin cancer, particularly malignant melanoma, so although moles are common and harmless, they can become badly cancerous.
The problem is that moles come in lots of different colours, sizes and shapes and we have to learn to distinguish between the ordinary, common mole and a lesion that is developing into skin cancer. You may not be able to do this, and therefore you should get your moles checked by Dr Jennifer Crawley, the consultant dermatologist here at Clinica London.
Moles will often become inflamed during the summer months because of sun damage. Therefore we see a lot more patients with moles during the summer when people get alarmed that the mole is growing bigger, becoming more tender or changing colour. Do not take any risks, but get your moles checked at Clinica London.
A common mole can be brown, black, tan-coloured, red, blue or pink, or almost without colour. They can have hair growing from them, they can be flat or slightly raised, and they can be smooth or wrinkled. Most moles are round, though they can also have a slightly oval shape. If they have any other shape you should be suspicious.
Size
Usually, moles are tiny. They can be up to 5 or 6 mm in diameter, but most of them are very small and we will have 10 or 40 of them. They develop gradually from childhood and adolescence through your adult life, and they often change and fade away. They are darker during adolescence and pregnancy.
Moles can occur on your face, your neck, in your scalp within your hair, on your trunk, around your ankles and on your fingers and toes.
If you think your mole looks strange after spending time in the sun, you should get your skin checked at Clinica London. You should look out for changes in the mole that may indicate a melanoma. Dermatologists use what they call the ABCDE guide:
A: Asymmetrical shape.
B: Border – irregular, scalloped border.
C: Colour – the mole is changing colour, has many colours or uneven colour.
D: Diameter – the mole is growing.
E: Evolving – the mole is changing. This change can be with respect to size, colour, height, shape or it could start to itch or bleed.