Moles

Nearly everyone has at least one mole, whether it developed later in life or you were born with it. At Missouri Dermatology Laser and Vein Center in Fenton, Chesterfield, and O’Fallon, Missouri, dermatology experts provide professional skin exams for moles and can remove them with surgical excision or shave procedures. Schedule your appointment over the phone or online for a skin exam or mole removal at Missouri Dermatology Laser and Vein Center today.

What are moles?

Moles are growths or spots on your skin that tend to appear darker than your skin tone. Some moles are there from the time you’re born, while others show up later in life. The majority of them are harmless and might even accentuate some of your best natural features. 

There are three categories of moles:

Congenital moles

Congenital moles are the moles you’re born with; one out of 100 newborns has them, and they’re usually flat or flush against the skin. 

Acquired moles

Acquired moles show up later in life and are usually attributable to sun damage. They tend to darken with age, and it’s also possible (yet unlikely) for them to evolve because of skin cancer. 

Atypical moles

Atypical moles are at the greatest risk of becoming cancerous of the three. They’re slightly larger than congenital and acquired moles and typically have unusual or uneven shapes. 

When is a mole suspicious?

It’s important to keep an eye on your moles, both the old and the new, for possible features or changes that might indicate skin cancer. The team at Missouri Dermatology Laser and Vein Center encourages you to give yourself a skin exam about once a month and to get professional skin exams if you’re at risk of getting skin cancer. 

You should book a professional skin exam if you notice moles that are:

• Asymmetrical
• Have blurry or irregular borders
• Colorful
• Larger than an eraser on a pencil
• Evolving

If the team at Missouri Dermatology Laser and Vein Center determines a mole to be suspicious, they take a biopsy to remove the mole and test it for cancerous cells. 

How are moles treated?

Noncancerous moles don’t need removal, but if you don’t like how they look, you can remove them for cosmetic purposes. You might also decide to remove a mole if it becomes bothersome because of its size or location. 

You should never attempt to remove a mole on your own, but the team at Missouri Dermatology Laser and Vein Center can remove your mole either with surgical excision or a surgical shave procedure in the office. You require stitches after surgical excision, but a surgical shave doesn’t usually need them.  

Learn more about mole removal or schedule a professional skin exam by calling Missouri Dermatology Laser and Vein Center or booking an appointment online today.