Skin moles are known medically as nevi, they are clusters of pigmented cells that will often appear as small, dark brown spots on your body. They can develop in a range of colors and can be virtually anywhere, including your armpits, scalp, under your finger nails, between your fingers and your toes.

You can develop between 10 and 40, although the quantity you have may alter throughout your life. Newer moles can appear in mid-adulthood, and because skin moles last approximately 50 years, some of these moles may disappear as you age.

The majority of moles are quite harmless, but in some rare cases they may become cancerous. Monitoring developing moles and other pigmented skin patches is a very important step in diagnosing skin cancer, particularly malignant melanoma. However, not all malignant melanomas develop from pre-existing moles, many begin to evolve in or near a mole or other dark spot on the body.

Everyone has moles at some level. Many people think of a mole as just a dark brown spot, but they have a wide and diverse range of appearance.

At one point in history, a mole positioned in a certain spot on a woman’s cheek was considered very fashionable. These were referred to as “beauty marks.” But, not all skin moles are attractive. They can be significantly raised from the skin, and may contain unsightly dark hairs.

Moles can appear alone or in groups. They are normally brown in color and can vary in size and shape. The brown color is due to melanocytes, these are special cells that produce the pigment melanin.

They are probably determined before birth and most will appear during the first 20 years of a person’s life, some may not appear until later in life. Exposure to the sun increases mole development.

Each mole will have its own growth pattern. At the beginning, they will be flat and brown, black, tan or pink in color, just like a freckle. Over a period of time, they normally enlarge and some may develop hair growth. As years pass, they may alter slowly, become more raised and lighter in color. Some will not alter at all and some will slowly disappear, seemingly  fading away. Others may become so raised from the skin that they may develop a small “stalk” and eventually drop off. Changes will occur slowly since the life-cycle of the average mole is approximately 50 years.

Skin moles may darken with exposure to the sun, and during the teen-years. With birth control pills and pregnancy moles often get darker and larger and new ones may appear.

More recent studies have shown that certain skin moles have a higher than average risk of becoming cancerous. They may develop to a form of skin cancer known as malignant melanoma. Sunburn increases the risk of developing melanoma, and people with above average number of moles (greater than 100) have an increased risk of developing melanoma.

Moles are present at birth for about 1 in 100. These are called “congenital nevi.” They may be more likely to develop a melanoma than ones that appear after birth. Should a congenital nevus be more than eight inches across, it poses a greater risk for developing into a melanoma.

Moles known as “dysplastic nevi” or “atypical” are larger than the average (larger than a pencil eraser) and very irregular in shape. They mostly have an uneven color with a dark brown center and lighter, and sometimes reddish, uneven border or black dots at the edge. These types of moles will often run in families.

Dysplastic nevi sufferers should be seen regularly by a skin dermatologist to check for any change that may indicate skin cancer. They should learn to regularly self-examine and look for changes in color, size or shape of their skin moles and the appearance of new ones.

Being aware of the early warning signs of malignant melanoma is crucial. Remember the ABCD when examining moles.

A. ASYMMETRY, the two halves do not match.

B. BORDER, the border or edges are ragged, irregular or blurred.

C. COLOR, the color is not the even throughout or it has shades of tan, brown, red or black, blue or white.

D. DIAMETER, the diameter is larger than 6 mm.

A mole displaying any of these signs should be checked promptly by a professional.

Other Skin Pigmented Patches

If you examine your skin, you may notice dark spots that are not in fact moles. Freckles are the most common type of these spots. They are rarely larger than the size of a smaller garden pea, although often they seem as if they are because they blend into each other. Sun exposure can make freckles darker and freckles may fade away completely in the winter. Whilst moles can appear anywhere on the skin, freckles are generally limited to sun exposed areas of skin, the face, neck and upper back. Blond and red headed people freckle the most easily.

Around middle age, a person may develop other dark areas that are not moles. Brown wart-like growths that tend to appear on the face or trunk and look as if they have been adhered to the skin may be harmless growths called “seborrheic keratosis.”

Multiple minor gray to brown spots that can appear on wrists and back of the hands, forearms and face could be “actinic lentigines.” These are generally referred to as “liver spots” or “age spots,” though they have nothing to do with the liver or a persons age. They are in fact sunspots.

Majority of moles and other skin blemishes are benign and not cancerous. They are not a health threat. Blemishes or spots that warrant concern are those that act differently from other existing moles. This includes any that change in size, shape or color, bleeds, itches, is painful, or develops when a person is past twenty years of age.

Most skin moles do not cause any problems. But occasionally they may be unattractive or irritating. People may wish to get rid of moles that are in certain areas, where clothing is irritating them, or because they are unsightly.

One method of removal includes numbing the area and cutting the mole off, or cutting out the entire lesion and stitching the area closed. Other methods include freezing and burning. These methods can on occasions be a bit painful and sometimes the mole will return.

You can disguise them to some extent with makeup. There are cosmetics that are specifically designed to cover blemishes and provide a more complete coverage than ordinary cosmetics do.

There are some natural remedies available that are painless and often very effective. They tend to have a lesser mole return rate also.