According to popular belief, a person who has many moles on his body is considered happy. The realities of modern life have modified this belief, and a person who does not have problems with birthmarks can truly be considered happy.
A large number of moles on the body creates the likelihood of skin cancer. By paying attention to the condition of your skin, knowing the factors that pose a potential danger, and taking preventive measures, you can minimize the possibility of developing melanoma.
What is the difference between a nevus and a mole?
Looking at photos of types of moles, you can immediately notice how different they are in size and color. Light-colored elements present on the epidermis are called “moles.”
But for neoplasms of dark chocolate, black, blue shades, a more appropriate name would be nevus. The word "naevus" is Latin for mole, so the two terms are identical.
What is a mole?
A mole is a skin growth filled with cells capable of forming the pigment melanin. These elementary units that produce melanin, located in the lower layer of the epidermis, are called melanocytes. The creation of melanin by melanocytes occurs under the influence of natural or artificial ultraviolet rays.
People have approximately the same number of melanocyte cells, but each person produces melanin individually. Based on the amount of suspended polymer compounds produced that color the fabric, humanity is conventionally divided into four classes.
Representatives of the first class have snow-white skin, light-colored eyes (blue or green) and red hair. Often their face is covered with freckles. Little melanin is produced, so the skin almost never tans.
Those belonging to the second class produce slightly more melanin than the previous group. They tan better, but at the same time sunburns form on the skin. Nature has endowed them with light-colored skin, blue, green or gray eyes and light brown hair.
The third class is represented by dark-skinned people with gray or almond eyes, coffee-colored or dark-brown hair. Due to the high amount of melanin produced, their skin quickly darkens in the sun, and damage to the skin during prolonged exposure to sunlight is extremely rare.
And the participants in the fourth grade are not sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, they are dark-skinned, brown-eyed, with dark hair.
Manifestations in the early stages
Content:
- Manifestations in the early stages
- How does amelanotic melanoma manifest?
- Signs of metastasis in the final stages
- Well-being when sick
- Signs of a mole degenerating into melanoma
- Appearance of melanoma and how to distinguish it from a mole
Melanomas can appear on any part of the body, but most often the tumors are located on the legs or back. Melanoma can also appear on the palms, mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, rectum, and scalp. In aging skin, melanomas often manifest in the facial area.
Subungual or acrolentiginous variety
In 3% of all diagnosed cases of melanoma, specialists identify cancer of the nail plates. This disease has its own specific symptoms, which include the appearance of a tumor on the finger, darkening of the nail or the appearance of a clear dark stripe on it, cracking of the nail plate over time with the release of sanguineous fluid or pus. It is important to know that nail melanoma most often occurs in the area of the thumb. As it grows, the tumor changes color to bluish-red or black and its shape to mushroom-shaped.
Cutaneous melanoma
The symptoms of cutaneous melanoma are determined by the naked eye, so you should always pay attention to your own health so as not to miss changes in the development of a mole and seek medical help in a timely manner. The main symptom of melanoma manifestation is the degeneration of a mole (nevus). This degeneration can be expressed in different forms, for example, the mole may begin to enlarge, its contour becomes jagged and asymmetrical, the pigmentation color darkens or acquires blue or reddish shades, itching occurs in the area of the formation, as well as swelling or wet discharge. Against the background of the above symptoms, regional lymph nodes may enlarge.
A mole can begin to degenerate after an injury, or for no apparent reason. Most often, hair falls out in the pigmentation zone, the skin begins to peel off and form crusts, and the skin pattern on the surface can no longer be read. It is also possible that melanoma satellites – skin rashes near the tumor site – may occur. The mole becomes very smooth and acquires a mirror-like surface.
Ocular variety
Melanoma of the eye is very common. Its peculiarity is the absence of symptoms in the first stages of pathology, which greatly complicates the course and treatment of the disease. The patient should be alerted to symptoms such as:
- sudden deterioration of vision;
- the appearance of photopsia or colored dots, sparks before the eyes;
- the occurrence of metamorphopsia or distorted perception of spatial and dimensional quantities;
- change in pigmentation in the iris;
- the appearance of “blind spots” in the field of vision;
- swelling in the eye area;
- retinal clouding.
Symptoms of ocular melanoma may occur even before the oncology is fully formed and do not allow an accurate diagnosis to be made. With different localization of this disease, hemorrhages in the eye area, secondary glaucoma, and retinal detachment may also occur.
How does melanin affect the human body?
Being a powerful antioxidant, melanin is the main protector of the skin from the negative effects of ultraviolet rays. In people of classes 3 and 4, due to the sufficient amount of melanin produced by melanocytes, the likelihood of developing skin cancer is almost zero.
People with skin types 1 and 2 are at greater risk of developing cancer. But the presence of dangerous nevi and moles on parts of the body equalizes the chances of developing a fatal disease for people with any skin type.
Well-being when sick
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Typically, the early stages of melanoma do not cause the patient any inconvenience, discomfort, or pain. After stage 3, when metastases occur, pain begins to appear, and with the onset of stage 4, anemia, weakness, frequent cough, aching bones, exacerbation of chronic pathologies, enlarged lymph nodes, loss of appetite, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and convulsions are added to it. . Depending on the location of metastases, memory loss may occur, vision may deteriorate, and constant pain in the skeleton, right hypochondrium, and chest space may occur.
The danger of melanoma lies precisely in the fact that the patient practically does not feel the most treatment-friendly stages, so he is in no hurry to seek help, and when metastases occur and the melanoma can no longer be cured, the patient begins to be bothered by all sorts of unpleasant symptoms, which have to be dealt with make significant efforts. In general, the state of health in patients with melanoma in late stages is negative, which further depresses already exhausted people faced with oncology.
How does this happen?
With intense tanning, the cells of the birthmark, containing scatterings of melanocytes, absorb quantum particles, i.e. significant amount of energy. The photon energy is transferred to the place where all hereditary information is stored - the cell nucleus. Processes of mutation and rearrangement begin in DNA and chromosomes, which include the mechanism for the development of a malignant process.
When a person has a strong immune system, that is, it is possible to neutralize the growth of cancer, DNA will also begin to recover. In the opposite case, the cells of the speck will begin to develop into low-quality tumors.
Border formations
This section includes moles/birthmarks, which are accompanied by an increased risk of degeneration into a malignant tumor. According to statistics, about 10% of such moles cause melanoma, so they require constant monitoring by a specialist.
These include:
- Dysplastic melanoma nevus; Risk of malignancy: 90%.
- Origin: hereditary.
- Color: from light brown to black.
- Size: up to 1 cm.
- Risk of malignancy: low, mainly due to trauma.
- Risk of malignancy: moderate, mainly due to trauma or prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
- Risk of malignancy: 10-12%.
- Risk of malignancy: rare, only in case of trauma.
- Risk of malignancy: 100% if untreated, is a precancerous condition.
You might be interested! Why do red moles appear and how to get rid of them?
How to determine the danger of a mole to a person
Throughout life, you need to observe the behavior of skin growths to understand whether there are dangerous moles on parts of the body.
To do this, you need to independently diagnose melanoma using the ACCORD algorithm.
- A – asymmetry. A conventional axis drawn along the surface of a skin tumor will not be able to divide it into two identical halves.
- K – edge. Upon examination, the edges are intermittent, with chips
- K - bleeding. An uninjured mole bleeds.
- O - color. The color of the mole changes or the mole loses color. This is an indicator of tissue degeneration.
- R – size. The growth of the mole both in width and height.
- D- dynamics. The appearance of cracks, scabs and hair loss signal danger.
According to medical statistics, the following types of nevi are most often modified into poor-quality tissue:
- nevus of Ota;
- Dubreuil's melanosis.
Nevus of Ota - dark blue or cyanotic pigment spots localized on the skin of the temple, cheekbones, upper jaw, and cheeks. Most often found in people of the Mongloid race. Early identification of signs of its transformation into melanoma allows one to provide assistance to the patient and avoid serious consequences.
Dubreuil's melanosis is the most dangerous precancerous skin disease. Appears in people over 50 years of age; in a third of all patients, the problem develops into melanoma.
A single spot appears on the skin, the boundaries of which are uneven and similar to geographical objects. The spot grows, its color becomes uneven, some areas are not colored at all.
To establish a diagnosis, pieces of the affected area of skin are scraped off and sent to the laboratory for cytological examination. Treatment is carried out through surgery, the spot is cut out to healthy tissue.
If Dubreuil's spot is located on the face, the help of a plastic surgeon is necessary.
Symptoms of nevi
Nevi look like spots or nodules on the skin. Some of them are barely noticeable, others have a rich brown (melanocytic or pigmented) or red (vascular nevi) color.
As a rule, nevi do not cause any discomfort and are not felt.
Nevi can change their appearance and increase throughout life. It is important to correctly assess these changes; such manifestations can not only be a variant of the norm, but also serve as one of the signs of malignant skin formations.
Children's pigmented neoplasms
At the moment the baby is born, there are no pigment spots on his body. They actively appear on the skin of children by the age of four.
The types of moles in children and adults differ.
Children's nevi are divided as follows:
Borderline. Nodules rising above the skin with a clear silhouette of chocolate, dark and lilac colors. Painless on palpation. The dimensions of such a neoplasm range from several millimeters to five centimeters. There is no hair.
Intradermal, Various in size and color. Some species resemble blackberries, others grow on a stalk.
Complex. When viewed, they are dense, spherical or dome-shaped. Colors are dark shades of wine and chocolate, even black. Hairs grow in complex nevi. Requires monitoring by a dermatologist.
Congenital. The most common pigment formations among babies. They develop as a result of a failure in the process of converting the skin of the embryo into melanin.
To prevent an ordinary mole from causing trouble, you must follow some simple rules:
- sunbathe at the right time - before 10 am and after 6 pm
- use high-quality creams and lotions that protect from bright sun rays
- do not visit the solarium
- do not injure the mole with belts, straps, chains and bracelets
- visit a skin doctor
- if necessary, visit a medical institution specializing in the removal of skin tumors and perform surgery
Treatment of nevi
In most cases, no treatment is required, only observation is required, since nevi are benign formations. If a malignant nature is suspected and formations with a high risk of malignant transformation are identified, surgical excision is performed. It is possible to remove the nevus at the request of the patient for aesthetic reasons or because of discomfort (for example, when localized in areas of frequent trauma by clothing).
Features of the treatment method
Surgical excision of the nevus is optimal. This method allows for radical removal with a scalpel followed by suturing of the wound surface. In some cases, when nevi protrude above the surface of the skin, a radio knife, electric knife or laser knife can be used. In all cases of surgical treatment of melanocytic nevi, it is necessary to conduct a histological examination of the removed tissue.
Folk signs and beliefs
For centuries, people have compared fates and birthmarks found on the human body.
The lucky ones are decorated with light-colored nevi, while the unlucky ones are decorated with dark ones. Hairy nevi on the left side pushed their owner onto the criminal path, on the right side they made him a highly spiritual person, ignoring worldly troubles and vanity. A nevus with hair located in the middle gave the right to choose - to join the dark side of life or to become a folk hero.
Moles on the right ear marked the favorites of Fortune, on the left - adventurers, from whom decent girls should stay away.
The mark on the waist predicted a large number of children for its owner, and if it was also located on the right side, the children would be well brought up, since their mother has considerable teaching talent.
The owners of marks on their hands are lucky themselves and share their luck with their interlocutor.
But the famous fly above the lip, which touches men and evokes the envy of women, symbolizes the sharp and tough character of its owner. Most often, a woman with a front sight is lonely and likes to throw out her negative emotions on others.
Stages of changes in nevi
Melanocytic nevi , both acquired and congenital, are characterized by staged changes throughout life. The classic path of development includes 3 stages, which differ in the depth of the formation:
- a simple nevus or borderline nevus is a superficial flat brown spot;
- a complex or combined nevus is located deeper and looks like a brown spot or raised formation on the skin;
- An intradermal nevus is a light-colored, raised formation located deep in the skin.
