It is common to have moles on the body. However, if you have many moles on your skin then it is best to do a mole check in Melbourne at a reputed skin clinic like Nitai Medical and Cosmetic Centre.
In general, you don’t need to worry about a majority of the moles. But mole check is important to identify the moles that look different and have different physical properties compared to the normal moles.
You can also do a self-examination of the moles at home to routinely check and monitor the changes in the moles in your body. The self-check helps you to do a self-assessment of the moles in the body and distinguish or segregate harmful moles from the normal moles.
A mole check helps with the early detection of skin cancer and allows you to seek early treatment and ensures holistic recovery.
Why is mole check important?
The main reason to do routine mole check in Melbourne is to identify the changing moles which could transform into skin cancer or melanoma.
Melanoma is among the most common types of skin cancer in Australia. Early detection or diagnosis help to receive proactive and better treatment which improves the chances of positive outcomes from the treatment.
Who has a higher risk of Melanoma?
You may be well aware that excessive sun exposure or sunburn increases the risks of skin cancer. The other factors that increase the risk of skin cancer include:
- Fair eyes and hair, pale skin that quickly burns or freckled skin
- Intermittent or excess sun exposure
- Using sun bed often
- Have many moles on the skin; if you have more than 11 moles in your right arm. Then your entire body would have more than 100 moles.
- Have larger moles or moles that are bigger than 6mm
- Family history of melanoma; a person in your family foreclose relative had melanoma
- You intake medicines that have an impact or affect the immune system of the body
How to do a mole check?
There is no specific rule on how regularly you need to do a mole check in Melbourne. The more you monitor the moles in the body the better you will be able to know about the skin and you are most likely to notice the changes in the moles and on your skin. If you have a large number of moles on your body, or your skin is subject to excessive sun exposure Here’s how you could perform a self-check on the moles in the body:
- Use a well-lit room
- Stand in front of a full-length mirror and with the help of a hand mirror inspect the moles all over the body
- Thoroughly check areas, such as scalp, buttocks and back for any new moles or suspicious moles. You can take the help of your partner to check the moles in these areas.
- Check the less obvious areas of the body like the underarms, soles of the feet and underarms
What do you need to look for when you do a mole check?
When you do a self mole check to detect new moles or to detect the changes in the colour, shape and size of the existing moles, you need to check the ABCDE parameters as mentioned below:
- A stands for Asymmetry: Divide the mole into two halves and then check whether both the halves appear the same. Asymmetrical moles are a sign of harmful moles which require further expert examination.
- B stands for Border: Check the edges or the border of the mole. Does it have a well-defined border or do the edges appear blurred or uneven? Harmful moles usually have blurred or uneven borders. If this is the case, then that particular moles require frequent monitoring and expert examination.
- C stands for Colour: Normal moles are generally black or brown and are evenly coloured. If a particular mole has different colours or shades of colour, then it could be a harmful mole and would require further monitoring and examination.
- D stands for Diameter: Normal moles are smaller in size; usually less than 6 mm in diameter. If the diameter of a particular mole from side to side is bigger than 6 mm, then it could be classified as a harmful mole and may require further monitoring.
Tip: the fat end of the pencil is almost 5 mm across. So you could use a pencil to check the diameter of the moles.
- E stands for Evolution: Normal moles usually stay the same and don’t change any features or evolve as you age. However, if a particular mole had been dormant for years but has suddenly evolved or changed its size, shape or colour, then it could be an indication that the mole has turned cancerous and would require expert monitoring and examination.
Few other significant things that you need to look out for include: bleeding, crusting and itching in the moles. If a particular mole begins to bleed without any injury or trauma, then you need to get it checked immediately by an expert dermatologist.
Nitai Medical and Cosmetic Centre offers the most comprehensive TGA & FDA approved mole check in Melbourne under the supervision of highly qualified skin Doctor Dr Shobhna Singh. Consult Dr Shobhna Singh now to know more.
