What is a Skin Mole?

As more and more people are becoming image conscious, they are spending more time examining their physical makeup with more scrutiny than in past decades. One of the areas they are more aware of with regards to 'imperfections' is their skin. One of the most common conditions of the skin in later years is called moles.

Moles or melanocytic nevus is a growth of the color cells of the skin that is called melanocytes. Moles are very common and can be found on most people. They will usually appear during a child's first year of growth. More will usually come during their second or third decade.

A person can have many moles on their skin that can increase when their skin is exposed to the sun. More moles can also appear on a child who has had several sunburns in certain areas before they even turn twelve. There are some people whose moles will disappear during the seventh or ninth decade of their life.

Certain moles can cause malignant melanoma. That is why it is important that you have them examined by a doctor instead of ignoring them. The more moles that you have on your body the higher the risk for developing malignant melanoma.

The amount of moles that can be found on your arm is the best way to determine the amount of moles that can be found on other parts of your body. Parts of the body that are chronically exposed to the sun are at risk for a higher amount of moles. Usually these spots will have moles that are less than 5 mm in diameter.

The much larger moles can usually be found on areas of the skin that are intermittently exposed. The back and chest are usually the areas most affected by this. Before they turn twenty moles can increase in size. Normal moles are less likely to increase in size the older that people get. Keep in mind though that size alone is not a sign of abnormality or malignancy in a mole.