Video
Body Check: Moles
Moles are generally harmless but they can lead to a deadly form of skin cancer called a malignant melanoma. In this video, Dr Christian explains what to look out for when checking your moles.
New moles can develop at any time. Moles generally come in a range of shapes, sizes and colours. They are normally nothing to worry about, unless they start to change and develop unusual characteristics. Use the simple A B C D rule to spot these changes.
A – Asymmetry, a mole shouldn’t differ from one side to the other.
B – Border, the edges of the mole shouldn’t be blurred or jagged.
C – Colour, look out for any changes in colour or patchy shades.
D – Diameter, check to see if a mole increases in size or if it is larger than 6mm across.
Also check to see if a mole reddens itches, crusts or bleeds and if you spot any of these changes, make an appointment and see your GP.
We want to hear about your findings, so please click the link below and add your results to our national survey.
+++Update+++
From the 13th – 20th May 2009 we conducted a National Health Survey to find out how many people had potentially problematic moles. Below are the detailed results.
Most of you who responded had normal looking moles, but around 10% of you found ones with either asymmetric or irregular borders. These are often benign, but if you are worried, or you spot changes to your moles, get them checked out. A good way to check for changes is to take a photo of your mole at regular intervals. That way you can judge whether the mole is changing, and take the pictures to your doctor if necessary.
Around a fifth of you reported itchy moles. This is definitely something that you should see your GP about, especially if they are painful or start to bleed regularly.
A small number of you also reported moles that had reddened suddenly, which comes under the ‘c’ for change warning sign. This can be a normal pigment change, but it could also be indicative of a mole turning malignant, so should be checked out by a medical professional.
Normal Moles – 56%
Irregular Border – 3%
Uneven Colour – 1%
Assymetric – 9%
Large Diameter – 8%
None – 23%
Yes
NoComments and Questions
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Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
I just launched a website www.skinofmine.com which will allow users to upload photos of their moles and analyze them for symmetry, border regularity, and color regularity. There's also a "track changes" function which does a mathematical alignment of a current image to an earlier one and shows the differences.
Im eighteen and i have quite alot of moles on my body and some appearing, I have quite a few on my face On both hands i have 6 on each hands some lighter than others. Some on both legs Few on my belly On my neck On my boobs i have two but ones bigger than the other its got a light brown border and then dark brown mole ontop im thinking it could be a skin tag ontop of a mole? is it normal to have so many moles?
I have a mole on the top of my leg which I have had for 3 years or so. It used to itch but no longer does so. The mole seems to be very flat on the surface but feels very hard and feels as if it is growing inwards as opposed to out. I went to my GP practice 6 months ago and was seen by the practice nurse who brushed it off as nothing to get worried over. i came out feeling as if I was being over concerned. Should I be?
Is it usual & ok for a new mole to appear on the palm of my hand? I am 43 & female.
I am sixteen and I have 50 moles up one arm and many more on the rest of my body as far as i know ive had them my whole life. My girlfriend loves them but It is very difficult to keep track to see if i have new ones appearing and get them checked out so far they are all fine but i dont want to let my guard down. Any suggestions?
In the last year & a half I've noticed a new mole right in the middle of my chest. At first I thought it was a bit of food or something but when I tried to wash it off it wouldn't. I've looked closely at it with an magnifying glass and its got tiny black dots in it. Should I be worried? ps I'm 15
Im 28 and I have a mole under my right breast that has become increasingly larger in the lat 6-12 months. It is around 10mm wide and has a lighter shade of brown border and isn't a perfect rounded shape and is dark in the middle. I went to see my GP who has referred me to a specialist to get it checked out. She said she wasn't an expert on moles so referred me. I have to wait 2 weeks but I am concerned, please advise.
hi i have a mole on my left hip i've always had it there but it used to be flat like a freckal over the last year or so its gotten bigger considrably darker it does bleed an is saw not itchy it really hurts wen clothes rub on it.
I am male 34 and have recently found a new mole on the upper left hand side of my chest close to my shoulder/armpit area. It has only just appeared within the last 2 months and started as a spot that would bleed, it is an irregular shaped 5mm long x 3mm wide at top and 2mm wide at bottom, it is slightly raised from the skin a light brown reddish colour (my other moles are all dark brown) and has a hair growing from it. It only hurts if i catch it on something, shirt etc. Should i visit my GP
I have a mole on the lower half of my leg, it is a kind of black colour, i am 16 and it has been like that for as long as i can remember, i am scared it could be cancerous, what should i do ?
