Today's idea of moles in people who do not have the right information is a mixture of truth and fiction.
Here are the most common myths:
- moles are given to a person at birth;
- their location on the body coincides with relatives;
- if you remove the mole, death from cancer is inevitable.
How are things in reality?
- In total, a person wears 25-30 moles. 90% of them arise gradually, the process lasts a lifetime;
- not only with brothers and sisters, but even with twins, moles are in completely different places;
- if you damage the mole once , there will be no cancer.
However, not all so simple.
Many raise the question, “What happens if you remove a mole?” in terms of maximum danger. After all, it is known that after such cases, people still died.
A tragic outcome is possible in only one case. If the mole itself turned into a malignant tumor called melanoma, grew and mutated regardless of the injury. Then the smallest parts of it sooner or later come off and float away through the blood vessels. Hooked anywhere in the body, melanoma cells begin to multiply uncontrollably and form metastases (new cancerous tumors). This process is truly fatal, irreversible. Melanoma is not treated and inevitably leads to death.
But if you don’t rip it off, the cancer will develop without injury in the same way as with injury.
A little statistics should reassure those who are especially afraid.
0.2% die from melanoma - two unfortunate per 1000 people. And from banal poisoning with alcohol intoxication - 10%, i.e. one hundred people per 1000 living. From cardiovascular excesses (acute heart failure, myocardial infarction , etc.) - 50%, that is, five hundred people for every 1000 living. It makes sense to relax: most likely, those who are afraid of damaged moles will die from drinking or from a heart attack.
What happens if you remove a mole that is not melanoma? For example, this is a benign papilloma tumor (a growth of white-pink color, slightly elongated) or just a pigmented spot. Suppose a mole was inadvertently shaved off.
The answer is likely to appeal to those who have increased anxiety: there will be nothing to worry about! The wound will heal. In its place, either no trace will remain, or a small scar will remain, or a new mole will grow, very similar to the old one. Melanoma, in this case, is out of the question. Of course, experimenting and ripping off a mole many times in one place is not worth it. If she has grown again, it is better to consult a doctor, and he will skillfully remove it.
What happens if a mole is removed and heavy bleeding begins?
Finally calm down. This is definitely not cancer. Such moles are called angiomas, these are congestions of blood vessels. They are in no way associated with melanoma. Apply a gauze bandage, fix it with a band-aid. Wait until the blood stops and go to the doctor to completely get rid of the problem.
If a mole is rubbed with clothes or shoes all the time, the doctor will also remove it without dangerous consequences.
However, for the sake of revealing the truth, it is worth looking at the nature of moles on the other hand.
Benign tumors called nevi (moles) appear in children and adolescents, as well as during pregnancy. Under the skin of a person, melanocytes live - brown pigment (staining) cells. Their purpose is to protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation, which is part of sunlight. Over time, melanocytes move to the surface of the skin and appear on it in the form of moles.
Accumulations of these cells do not present any harm. But their possible rebirth is dangerous. Melanoma develops for a period of five to fifty years, and it is impossible to notice until the stage of its activity. But the problem is that at this stage the cancer is already incurable, or its treatment requires difficult procedures for health, the success of which is not guaranteed.
Of all the external stimuli that can lead to the development of melanoma, the most dangerous is the sun. Ultraviolet radiation affects the nuclei of melanocytes, and then the cells lose their ability to die. Their reproduction cannot be stopped further. Accumulating, they form a malignant (cancerous) tumor.
To avoid troubles, you can not sunbathe too much. And it is very undesirable for sunburn to expose moles to the sun. It’s better to hide them from the sun.
Pregnant women are also at risk. The body undergoes hormonal changes during which the skin changes. During pregnancy, if possible, the sun should be avoided.
Mechanical injuries, as mentioned above, cannot turn benign nevus into melanoma. However, if you remove the mole that has already begun to change, the process of rebirth may intensify.
How do I know if nevus has turned into melanoma?
Carefully consider the following signs:
- Nevus changes its color. Coloring intensifies or weakens, becomes uneven. The mole is overgrown with a ring, red or dark.
- Nevus flakes, itches, burns, or tingles.
- The contours of the nevus “blur”, losing their clarity.
- The nevus is enlarged and compacted.
- Cracks appeared on the nevus, it bleeds, although there was no injury.
Any of these signs is a reason to run to an oncodermatologist. If there is no such specialist in a medical institution, you must first consult a dermatologist (a specialist in skin diseases), and then consult an oncologist. In such cases, you can not wait a single hour.
What do doctors do if it was necessary to get rid of a mole? Removal is performed by the following methods:
- surgical laser;
- using an electrocoagulator (see explanation below);
- cryodestruction method (instant freezing to ultralow temperature);
- using a conventional scalpel.
How does removal occur in each of these cases?
It is generally accepted that the method of laser surgery is the most modern. Using a laser beam, it is possible to precisely reach pigment cells. The skin at the same time remains in complete safety, without being exposed to cuts.
Using a laser, patency of small vessels can be reduced to zero, creating an artificial blood clot in each of them. In this way, the spread of metastases in the bloodstream is blocked.
Laser surgery is painless and quick. With their help, the nevus is permanently removed. At the same time, if the laser is controlled by a specialist of insufficiently high class, there is a danger of getting areas of deep scars on the skin after such an operation.
For electrocoagulation, a special device is used. This is a miniature loop that is heated by electricity to the required temperatures. She hugs the nevus and burns it without a trace. After the operation, one or two weeks need to endure a crust on the skin, as if there was a burn. If coagulation was deep, scars cannot be avoided. At the same time, the tissue of the removed nevus remains so fresh and preserved that it is convenient to immediately send it to laboratory tests.
In cryodestruction, liquid nitrogen is used. Experts believe this method is more suitable for cosmetic surgery than for the removal of doubtful nevi. It is impossible to control the action of nitrogen. If it turns out to be too weak, the mole can only partially retire. If it is excessive, scar tissue is formed.
Moles are removed surgically - with an ordinary scalpel - if we are talking about an extensive benign formation from three to five centimeters and the operation is cosmetic in nature. The procedure is carried out under local anesthesia, sutures are applied.
It is very important to follow medical recommendations in the postoperative period. The crust is to be treated with antiseptic drugs. If it is stripped off, complications are possible - from scars to new metastases. It should remain completely dry until it falls away by itself.
The place of removal of a mole is prohibited to expose to the sun for two weeks after surgery.
So what happens if you rip off a mole?
A serious answer to this question depends on how well the person who answers it owns the information.