An atypical mole may be a simple aesthetic distortion or a serious reason to worry. This is why it’s important to frequently inspect your own body and to see whether or not you might have this unwanted guest on your skin. Although a visit to the dermatologist’s office should be on the top of your priority list, there are ways through which you can recognize atypical moles by yourself. Let’s find out what’s up with these atypical moles.
What’s an Atypical Mole?
Just like the name suggests, atypical moles are marks on the skin which are very much moles with unusual looking characteristics. Also known as ‘dysplastic nevi,’ the plural word for ‘nevus’ which means mole, they are mostly benign, non-cancerous moles.
The big issue here is that they strongly resemble melanoma, a really dangerous and possibly deadly form of skin cancer which exhibits itself through irregular patches of brown skin. In fact, people who have atypical moles on their bodies are more likely to develop melanoma. This is just another reason to immediately rush over to a doctor’s office if you see anything that might resemble an atypical mole.
Speaking of which, here are the signs that you should be watching out for
How to Recognize an Atypical Mole
#1 Asymmetric Appearance
Common moles tend to be round and symmetrical, meaning that drawing a line in the middle of it would result in relatively even halves. This isn’t the case with atypical moles, which tend to be uneven and strangely shaped.
#2 Fading Borders
Typically, moles have well-defined edges, thus clearly separating themselves from the rest of the skin. Atypical ones, however, actually have blurrier edges, often fading and blending into the rest of your skin.
#3 Irregular Coloring
A normal mole usually ‘sports’ one single color, a tan or a brown hue, though that can’t be said about atypical ones. Often, atypical moles are a myriad of uneven colors (obviously still from the brownish spectrum).
#4 Elevated Center
A typical mole would be a bump on the skin in its entirety. On the other hand, atypical moles tend to have an appearance which involves a slightly elevated center with other flat surrounding areas.
Possible Complications
- Itching
- Pain
- Elevation
- Bleeding
- Crusting
- Swelling
- Oozing
- Ulceration
- Bluish-black color
How to Treat Atypical Moles
You can remove atypical moles just like any other moles: through biopsy.
There are some physicians and doctors who believe that all moles of this kind need to be removed whereas others only actively seek out to remove those that show clear risks of turning into melanoma. Regardless of which kind of doctor you’ll be going to, it’s your clear obligation to closely monitor the development of your atypical moles if you’ve identified some.
Wrapping Up
Even though we provided some truly useful guidelines to help you learn how to recognize an atypical mole, don’t forget to go to the doctor’s if you have suspicions. As already established, these moles can be highly dangerous, so go to regular checkups and observe any possible changes in appearance which might hint toward an increasing risk factor.