Types of Facial Moles
Facial moles were once, and may still be, considered to be beauty marks. Some of our most legendary film sirens have boasted facial moles. Their fans often penciled in moles on their own faces in homage to these beauties. Nowadays, women are starting to have their "beauty marks" removed, according to plastic surgeon D. Brent Molleken, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Sometimes facial moles can become too big and are no longer considered an asset, and that is when women opt to have them removed. In addition, the fear of melanoma is so great that there is an emphasis on having your moles examined routinely and, at times, removed for safety's sake.
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Definitions
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The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) explains that moles are called, medically, a nevus (plural nevi), the Latin term for "spot." If you were born with a mole, this is considered a congenital nevi. If you develop a mole later, this is considered an acquired nevi.
Origin
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Facial moles are believed to be determined before a person is born. If a facial mole develops after the age of 50, this needs to be brought to the attention of your physician because it may be cause for alarm. Moles can darken over the years, due to sun exposure, pregnancy (hormones) and the use of steroid drugs. Melanoma does not generally develop in these facial moles, according to AOCD.
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Appearance of Acquired Mole
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Facial moles are just like other moles that pop up on your body: They are generally brown, which is caused by melanin, or pigment, and can vary in shape and size. A mole may appear alone or in groups. If you have an acquired mole, it probably won't be any bigger than ¼ inch in size. These moles tend to develop in childhood and early adulthood and may be due to sun damage. The mole may contain dark hairs, and it may be raised up from the skin.
Atypical Mole Appearance
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If you have an atypical mole (dysplastic nevi or Clark's mole) on your face, which one out of every 10 Americans does, this mole will be larger than an acquired mole and the borders may be weakly defined and irregular. The irregular borders may have notches in them. These moles can range in color from pink to tan to dark brown. Atypical moles are more likely to turn cancerous than an acquired or congenital mole, but don't panic. Not every mole is cancerous. Half of the melanoma that is found on people is found on their skin and does not originate in a mole.
Congenital Type
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A congenital mole or nevi is one that you are born with, which happens in about 1 out of every 100 births. These moles can be quite large and even cover a large portion of your body. These large nevi can be black, brown or reddish-tan. Sometimes fine hair grows out of the nevi or long, thick, dark hair. The congenital nevi may also feature a goose-bump appearance. The texture of these nevi can also vary greatly. If an individual has a large nevus somewhere on his body, he is apt to have several or even hundreds of smaller nevi, which are considered satellite nevi. It is believed that those who have giant congenital nevi have a 6 percent chance of developing melanoma.
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