Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Cancerous Moles in Children

Cancerous Moles in Children

Moles in children are usually not a point of worry as most of them are benign. But it is necessary for parents to be aware of cancerous moles in children. This article provides a brief information on cancerous moles in children...


Moles on children's skin are normal and in childhood many of them get moles on skin. These skin moles grow with the age of the child and may get dark or light with time. As mentioned earlier, these moles are normal skin growth and do not cause any harm since they are benign (harmless). But not all moles are harmless, there are few cancerous moles also.


Cancerous Moles in Children


Melanoma is a type of skin cancer whose one of the symptoms is cancerous moles on skin. There are certain factors that increase the risk of getting melanoma. These are, number of moles on skin, exposure to sun and genetics. Melanoma is a very serious type of skin cancer and the treatment for this disease is difficult on late diagnosis. Parents usually panic when they come across a growing mole on their child's skin. But parents should not panic and keep their cool as every mole is not cancerous. Read more on, melanoma skin cancer.


Cancerous Moles in Children - Risk Factors


Number of researches and studies have proved a direct relation with large number of moles to the increased risk of melanoma. Thus, if parents find that their child has very abnormal increased count of moles, its better to consult a dermatologist at the earliest. Moles that are larger than 5-6 millimeters should not be neglected, as they can be cancerous. Other factors that increase the risk of melanoma in children is, susceptibility to sunburn, poor immune system, genetics, etc. If any of the child's relative suffered from melanoma, the child is at also at a higher risk of getting melanoma. Some melanoma patients had more than 100 moles on their body.


Usually moles that are present on the child's skin since birth, turn out to be malignant. Thus, parents should keep a constant watch on features of such moles. There are several types of moles that can be present on a child's body. Awareness and identification of these moles can help the parents to know the type of mole their child is having. Following are some common types of moles.


Congenital Mole: Congenital mole is the one that exists since birth. These can be called as birthmarks and are usually harmless. But if the size of this congenital mole is too large, then it can cause risk of melanoma. Presence of such giant mole can increase the risk of melanoma by almost 10 percent. Thus, when such mole is observed in a newborn, a dermatologist should be consulted at the earliest.


Common Mole: These are usually referred as beauty marks and develop during the childhood. They are symmetric and may faint as the child grows. They are non cancerous and are present on skin areas that are exposed to sun. These moles usually do not pose any problem, but if they bleed, itch or cause any discomfort they should be examined by a dermatologist. Their diameter is less than a pencil. Read more on skin mole removal and mole removal at home.


Dysplastic Mole: These are also called as atypical moles. They are not symmetrical as common moles are. These can be in folded form and have irregular borders. These moles usually contain more than one color and their diameter may be greater than 6 millimeters. If your child has such a mole, he/she should be examined regularly after his/her puberty.


Spitz Nevus: This mole resembles the melanoma mole very closely. Thus, many a time it becomes difficult for the dermatologist to diagnose whether it is a melanoma mole or a spitz nevus. These moles can be red, brown or black in color and are dome shaped. Sometimes this mole bleeds. Any mole that looks like spitz nerve should be shown to the dermatologist immediately.


Cancerous Moles - What do they look like?


These moles are usually asymmetrical, have irregular border, contain more than one color, can be itchy and their diameter is more than 5 millimeters. Here is a checklist of symptoms that parents should look for, when they come across moles on their child's body. If any of the following condition is not observed in the mole then consult a doctor immediately,


Check out for diameter of the mole. It should not be more than 5mm.


The mole should be symmetrical in shape.


The mole should have regular borders and edges.


The color of the mole should be same throughout.


The elevation of the mole should not change.


Read more on changes in moles.


Cancerous moles in children can be avoided with the help of certain preventive measures. Extreme exposure to sunlight is also one of the reasons of developing melanoma. So, ensure that you cover your child's body completely when he/she goes out. Use of sunscreen lotions is one of the best preventive measures. The number of melanoma cases are rising day by day, specially in small children. Thus, any suspicious mole on child's skin should not be neglected and a dermatologist should be consulted soon.

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