Mole Check

Post your questions related to skin cancer and moles here.

Moderator: talkhealth

Locked
2 posts
Patience1
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:05 pm
Quote

by Patience1 on Thu Feb 18, 2021 5:55 pm

Mole Check

I have lots of moles, most of them are tiny - 1-2 mm diameter - so I find it really impossible to keep an eye on them as there are so many and so small I can't really see any changes. How concerned should I be about moles of this size? I wish my surgery ran a 'mole clinic' where you got checked once a year or so.

Dr Sivanie Sewell
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:48 pm
Quote

by Dr Sivanie Sewell on Thu Feb 18, 2021 6:29 pm

Re: Mole Check

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

Keeping an eye on one's skin and moles can feel like quite a daunting thing, especially when you first start doing this. However, over time you will become more confident. Everyone should self examine their skin on a monthly basis- looking for any changes to existing moles/freckles etc, anything new, anything which stands out and looks different to other moles/freckles/blemishes (what we call an ugly duckling), or anything which is bleeding, painful, itching or non-healing. This self examination should be a top to toe examination.

You are right in that when one has lots of moles, particularly when they are tiny, it is much harder to monitor them. Some people find it useful to take photographs (from slightly afar so you can see the scatter of the moles and you can monitor for any new lesions, and also close ups of any you particularly want to monitor more closely). Printing the photos and labelling the location of where it is on your body, the size of the mole and the date the photograph was taken is usually helpful. Ultimately over time, with monthly skin self examinations, you will gain confidence in monitoring your moles.

It is also a good idea to have annual mole/skin examinations by a Dermatologist or annual mole mapping. In the ideal world everyone should have this done, but especially if one has lots of risk factors for skin cancers or has lots of moles. Unfortunately this service is not available on the NHS, but if you have the means to see a Dermatologist privately, do consider this.

Hope this helps.

Dr Sivanie Sewell
Consultant Dermatologist Surrey and London
BMedSci, BMBS, MRCP (UK) (Dermatology), FRCP
www.drsivaniesewell.co.uk
Instagram: drsivaniesewell
Facebook: Dr Sivanie Sewell

Locked
2 posts