Almost all adults have moles or skin tags somewhere on their body. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology estimates that the average person has anywhere between 10 to 40 moles. Most moles are completely benign and thus would only be removed for cosmetic reasons. You shouldn’t be alarmed if your child develops new moles as they grow. This is a natural process that is often genetically linked.
At the same time there are a few things you might want to keep an eye out for, that might require a mole to be professionally removed. Changes in an established mole can often be an early symptom of the skin cancer known as melanoma. If you have a mole that starts to change in color or size. Or one of your moles begins to develop a ring around it, you should have it checked out as soon as possible.
It’s also not a bad habit to have a loved one keep an eye on large moles in hard-to-see locations like your back, the back of your neck, shoulders and legs.
Early detection greatly increases the chances of a successful removal, or catching a malignant mole before it has a chance to develop into something more serious. If you have a mole that you are concerned about, or you think might need to be removed, please call us at 801-224-5200 to schedule an appointment.
