"Can you look at this mole?"

By: Dr. Daniel Pepe, Family Physician

March 27th, 2019

For most patients, moles are something that are "just there". They usually don't cause any problems for the vast majority of people but knowing a bit about your skin and moles can go a long way. Moles are small spots on the skin that are often darker than the surrounding skin. For most patients, knowing when to worry about a mole or not can be challenging. 

When thinking about moles that are concerning doctors typically refer to the ABCDE's 

• A: Asymmetry - once of the mole doesn't look like another
• Border - a border which is an irregular shape and not smooth
• Colour - Moles that have different shades of brown, tan, black, red, white or blue 
• Diameter - moles which are greater than 6 mm and have the above features tend to be more concerning
• Evolving - moles that change over time, especially quickly changing moles 

One easy way to keep track of your moles is to use your cell phone! Taking a picture of moles month to month can be very helpful to determine if your moles are changing. 

Another reason to come into the office for a skin assessment is if you were to develop a skin lesion that doesn't heal or continues to bleed. These lesions can sometimes be early skin cancers. 

The key to all good skin care is prevention, awareness and protection! Have a look at the tools below to keep your skin as healthy as possible.