Melanocytes, the cells responsible for creating pigment in the skin, are the source of both the ordinary mole and melanoma. The first illness is not dangerous at all, while the second is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. While everyone gets at least a few moles throughout their lives, some people are more at risk of developing malignant melanoma than others.
Timely treatment is crucial for melanoma patients, hence early diagnosis at a manhasset cosmetic dermatology clinic is crucial. Knowing the signs and symptoms of this malignancy and the people who are most at risk will aid in the search for it.
How Do You Distinguish a Mole from Melanoma?
Before we get into that, it is important to note that the general public commonly uses the term ” mole ” to describe a wide variety of dark or raised skin lesions, independent of the specific cell types involved. Different types of skin cells have various purposes. Melanocytes, found in the skin and responsible for pigmentation, can proliferate uncontrollably, leading to moles and malignant melanoma.
Normal melanocytes make up common moles, also known as common or typical acquired nevomelanocytic nevi. Malignant melanocytes, in contrast, cause melanomas. These two skin disorders are the focus of the following discussion.
Moles
Most moles are acquired later in life. While some appear in the first year of life, most manifest themselves throughout the teenage years or early adulthood. They are typically only a few millimeters in diameter and can be either spherical or oval. They have clean lines that stand out from the rest of the skin.
The coloration of these lesions is consistent. Typically affecting only the outermost layers of skin, flat moles appear dark or brownish-black in color. Moles that have been raised and are deepening in color are fleshy pink. The stalk of others allows them to adhere to the skin.
The appearance of a common mole may not alter for years. If they grow, it is a slow process that allows them to keep their original form, symmetry, and color. It is also possible for them to vanish in adulthood. In most cases, pigmented lesions are harmless and offer no health risks.
Melanomas
In contrast, melanomas tend to manifest in middle age or later. Unnatural coloring and crooked borders go hand in hand. Blue, gray, red, and white moles are all regarded as abnormal, and they can coexist in the same melanomatous development.
Itchiness, soreness, ulceration, and easy bleeding may also occur alongside these alterations. Melanoma’s advanced stage allows it to infect any organ, resulting in a wide variety of symptoms.
Melanin-producing tumor cells proliferate more rapidly than healthy melanocytes. A lesion might develop into a different size, shape, and color in just a few months.