What? Can a mole on your body turn into a malignant tumor? Huaxi doctors: Don’t panic, there is a way to test yourself

If you were to say what part of a person has the most "metaphysical" temperament.

Then the "mole" that usually has the least presence will come out to make its presence felt.

A mole near the mouth means good food; a mole at the corner of the eye means frequent tears and unhappy life; a mole above the eyebrow means good luck and fortune; a mole on the waist means a bulging wallet and no worries about money; a mole behind the neck means an unfinished relationship; a mole on the sole of the foot affects wealth, and those who play mahjong want to get rid of it as soon as possible...

Anyway, a small "mole" can be used to look at one's face, fortune, and feng shui. It is the "magic weapon" of the fortune teller in your hometown.

But doctors at West China Hospital want to tell you that "mole" is just a benign tumor belonging to the melanocyte system .

Don’t panic when you see a tumor. In fact, most of the "moles" growing on our bodies can "coexist peacefully" with us for a lifetime, but it is not ruled out that some "skinny" "moles" can indeed bring some troubles to our health.

"Let us follow

West China Hospital, Sichuan University

Dermatologist Dr. Li Jiaqi

Let’s meet the one who is yours.

"Master of Metaphysics"

”▽

What exactly is a mole?

Why do people become presidents?

In a broad sense, moles refer to various spots on the body. What we are going to talk about today is the narrow sense of "mole" in medicine .

Why do people have moles?

In fact, moles are rarely present when we are born. Those that are present at birth are called congenital moles.

In contrast, most of the moles on our bodies are formed after birth.

👉 The number of moles will increase in the first thirty years of life, and then decrease with age. The specific number of moles each person has and how big the moles are is determined by both genetic and environmental factors .

On average, most people will develop anywhere from dozens to over 100 moles in their lifetime.

Let’s take a look at what a “mole” is.

Take the "black mole" that we usually call, its scientific name is "pigmented nevus".

As the name suggests, it must be related to "black".

70% to 80% of the moles on our body are the result of clonal growth of melanocytes with the BRAF gene V600E mutation.

Therefore, "mole" has many nicknames: pigmented nevus, nevus cell nevus, cellular nevus, melanocytic nevus...

What has the mole experienced in its life?

In our body, a mole goes through three stages: junctional mole → compound mole → intradermal mole . This can also be said to be the life of a mole.

Junctional nevus

This is equivalent to the nevus cells at the junction of the epidermis and dermis undergoing an extension and deepening of color, and then undergoing a morphological transition and condensation at a certain point in time to become a junctional nevus.

Compound mole

As the junctional nevus continues to mature, develop, and proliferate, it gradually moves deep into the junction of the epidermis and dermis or even under the dermis, becoming a compound nevus.

Intradermal nevus

As the compound nevus matures further, it forms an intradermal nevus.

You see, as moles continue to "develop" in our body, they become more and more mature and stable, so compound moles and intradermal moles have a lower chance of malignant transformation. On the contrary, junctional moles are vigorous and relatively active, and have a higher chance of malignant transformation.

Of course, not all "moles" will experience such a complete life. Some "moles" may stop at junctional moles or compound moles and no longer develop.

The most troublesome mole

Melanoma

As I said at the beginning, most of the "moles" on our body will remain peaceful in this life, but a very small number of "moles" are willing to be "troublemakers" and will turn into melanoma.

Don’t just ignore the fact that it’s “extremely small” or even think that there’s no need to care. If it weren’t scary, we West China doctors wouldn’t have to mention it specifically.

Melanoma

The type of skin cancer with the highest mortality rate, like pancreatic cancer, is known as the "king of cancers". Once melanoma metastasizes, the patient's 5-year survival rate is only 4.6%, and the fastest death may occur within three months. It has a high mortality rate, high metastasis rate, and is very difficult to treat.

Although melanoma is scary, due to insufficient awareness and attention, more than half of melanoma patients in our country are already in the middle or late stages when they are first diagnosed, and their prognosis is relatively poor.

What factors increase the risk of melanoma?

① People with many moles, especially those with more than 100 moles;

② People with fair skin who are easily sunburned;

③ There is a family history of melanoma.

Be careful about these moles

If necessary, follow the doctor's advice to see whether to remove

At this point, some people completely relaxed: "I'm not a high-risk person, I'm not afraid!"

If the above three groups of people are not at a relatively high risk, ordinary people will not have to worry about melanoma at all! We should pay special attention to those "moles" on our bodies that are in special locations and look strange, as they may be "dangerous elements" of melanoma.

Doctors at West China Medical University recommend using the "ABCDE method" for self-testing.

A (asymmetry)

Asymmetry

Most common moles are symmetrical in shape. If a symmetrical mole becomes asymmetrical in a short period of time, you should be alert.

B (border)

boundary

Check whether the edges of the mole are neat, regular and smooth. If there are changes in a short period of time, be alert.

C (color)

color

Normal moles are usually one color, mostly black, blue-black, or tan. If the color suddenly becomes darker, lighter, or changes color, or becomes uneven, be alert.

D（diameter）

diameter

Check whether the diameter of the mole is less than 6 mm. If it is larger, it is recommended to check carefully.

E (elevation)

progress

Check whether the mole has undergone rapid changes in shape, size, color, or protrusion in the recent period. If so, be alert.

In addition to using the ABCDE method for self-examination, you should also pay more attention to moles that grow on the soles of the feet, nails, and other extremities ; on waistbands, armpits, and other areas that are prone to friction and compression ; and on the head, neck, and other areas that are prone to long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays . If necessary, you can ask a doctor whether they need to be removed.

Currently, the mainstream method of mole removal is still surgery, especially for those moles that are at risk of becoming cancerous. Surgery has the advantages of being able to obtain complete tissue samples for testing, complete removal, and less likely to recur.

“In general, most of the moles on our bodies are pretty friendly and as long as they stay there, they’re not a big deal.

But for those "moles" who like to "make trouble" and "stir up trouble", we should cut them off when necessary, and cut them off thoroughly, so that they will know what "my moles are my own" means!