Problems of Moles

Home

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A |

| B |

| C |

| D |

| E |

| F |

| G |

| H |

| I |

| J |

| K |

| L |

| M |

| N |

| O |

| P |

| Q |

| R |

| S |

| T |

| U |

| V |

| W |

| X |

| Y |

Most moles are normal and harmless, but in a few cases they can develop into melanoma, a type of skin cancer. There are a two types of melanoma;

malignant melanoma (cancer in the mole), and
non-melanoma (including basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma).

Malignant melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and is usually caused by short periods of strong sunlight â€“ such as on a two-week holiday. Malignant melanoma can appear anywhere on the body. It may be a dark, fast-growing spot where there wasnâ€™t already a mole; or a mole you already have that changes size, shape, or colour, and bleeds, itches or reddens.

Non-melanoma skin cancer is slow to develop and is usually caused by long-term exposure to the sun. It usually affects parts of the body that are in the sun a lot, such as your face.

For more information, see the separate encyclopaedia topic on cancer of the skin.