Moles, or nevi, are on the body of every person. With age, new formations may appear. In most cases, the nevi are flat and do not cause any problems. Sometimes, however, hanging moles form, which is quite unpleasant from an aesthetic point of view, especially if they are on open areas of the skin, such as the neck and face.
Nevus formation
The basis of the formation of age spots is a violation in the functioning of melanoblasts. The latter are the cells responsible for the production of the melanin pigment, which determines the color of the skin and certain areas of the skin on the body. Disruption of the work of melanoblasts can occur during the period of intrauterine development of the child.
As a result of pathological changes, melanin is distributed unevenly over the skin cells, which leads to the grouping of age spots in various parts of the skin. Doctors explain the formation of nevi with a genetically determined defect in the epidermis.
Risk group
First of all, women can be attributed to them - they appear much more often than men like similar neoplasms. The cause of nevus is, as a rule, a high level of estrogen. Also, the risk is higher in people with very fair and sensitive skin. You can not spend in the sun for a long time without protective equipment with high SPF. People with burns, both thermal and chemical, are also at risk.
Benign neoplasms
Hanging moles are considered benign formations. However, under the influence of certain negative factors, such as ultraviolet light, mechanical damage, etc., cells can undergo a mutation and trigger the development of melanoma.
Why do hanging moles appear on my neck? The skin in this area has a high degree of sensitivity to negative external influences, which explains the greatest likelihood of developing nevi on it.
Varieties of moles
There are several types of nevi. Their difference can be in shape, as well as in size. The risk of degeneration of the mole into melanoma is quite high. The most common types of nevus are:
1. Hanging. Moles in the neck are neoplasms in the shape of a papilla. Their color is often flesh. Hanging moles on the body protrude above the surface of the skin, for which they hold on to a thin base. This kind of moles can appear in a person at any age. In medical practice, cases of the appearance of hanging nevi in newborns were recorded. In external characteristics, they resemble papillomas, but the structure of these formations is different. The danger of hanging nevi is that they are easily injured, which can provoke a mutation and degeneration into melanoma.
2. Reds. They are also called angiomas. Unlike others, these formations arise as a result of an increase in blood vessels, which determines their red tint. Similar age spots occur mostly in children. For adults, such formations are not characteristic. Scientists see the relationship between angiomas and infectious diseases that a woman suffered during pregnancy.
Often there is a hanging mole under the arm. The causes of its appearance are ultraviolet, which enters the skin, fluctuations in the hormonal background (transitional age or pregnancy - tumors often occur at this time), HPV, heredity.
Types of pigmented moles
Another type of nevus are pigmented moles. They, in turn, are divided into the following types:
1. Lentigo. This spot is a solid color, which can be both light and dark brown. Moles of this species are flat and do not protrude above the surface of the skin. Quite often they are mistaken for freckles.
2. Specific, or complex nevi. They are distinguished by a dark color and convex structure. Their feature is that they are not only on the surface, but also on the inner layer of the epidermis.
3. Intradermal nevus. It has a smooth or rough surface. For this mole, the appearance of hairs on its surface is typical.
4. Sotton spots. These age spots appear suddenly and also disappear unexpectedly. A significant difference between Sotton spots and other varieties of moles is a specific halo, which is formed from bleached skin. Spots quite rarely degenerate into malignant neoplasms.
5. Blue moles. As the name implies, they are distinguished by their blue color, as well as their small size, reaching a maximum of 2 mm. All nevi of blue color have a uniform shape. Most often they appear on the face and neck.
6. Congenital nevi. They appear on the body of the baby immediately after birth and grow with it.
Causes of moles
The exact causes of the appearance of nevi on the human body are not yet known. However, there are factors that, according to studies, can provoke the formation of nevi:
1. Ultraviolet radiation. In excess, it leads to a change in the pigmentation of the skin. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause disruption in the work of melanoblasts. What else can cause the appearance of hanging moles?
2. Failure in the hormonal balance of a person. Nevuses quite often appear during pregnancy and adolescence, due to pronounced hormonal changes.
3. Predisposition at the genetic level. It is not uncommon for parents and children to have moles in the same place. But the formation of moles is not always explained by heredity. The appearance of nevus can be triggered by various factors, including the individual characteristics of the body.
4. Skin lesions. Injury to the same area of the skin several times can lead to cell mutations and, as a consequence, to the formation of age spots.
The danger of hanging moles is that there is a high risk of their degeneration into melanomas.
Causes
Melanomas arise as a result of active proliferation of cells that are responsible for the production of melanocytes. This process is activated under the influence of the following factors:
1. Long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
2. Damage to the skin area on which moles are located. Hanging moles in the neck area are especially dangerous, as they are easily injured by jewelry or clothing.
3. Hormonal failure.
4. Malignant neoplasm. The causes of hanging moles should be determined by the doctor.
When to see a doctor?
The following symptoms are considered a reason for seeking advice from a specialist:
1. Active growth of moles.
2. Change in color of the pigmented spot, especially in the case of black and dark blue nevi.
3. The mole has become rough.
4. Bleeding neoplasms.
5. Inflammation of the mole.
6. Around the neoplasm, a halo appeared.
7. Itching of the nevus.
The above symptoms may indicate the beginning of cell mutation, which in the future will cause melanoma. However, sometimes the cause of itching and inflammation can be quite commonplace - wearing uncomfortable, tight clothing that rubs the nevus.
How to remove a hanging mole?
Nevus Removal
Pigment spots are removed only if the birthmark is confirmed to be a malignant neoplasm. Sometimes surgeons remove a mole at the request of the patient, even if there is no indication for this procedure. There are several methods:
1. Laser removal. It is prescribed, if necessary, to remove a mole with a flat surface. The laser sequentially burns out layers of the skin in the place where the tumor is located. Removal is performed under local anesthesia and practically does not damage healthy areas of the skin that are located around the nevus.
2. Electrocoagulation. Removal of a mole occurs by exposing the affected area to a high-frequency current.
3. Cryodestruction. Used in cases where there is a need to remove a hanging mole. The procedure is carried out using liquid nitrogen. Under the influence of low temperatures, the cells die and it turns out to remove the mole.
4. Tissue excision. This method can be used for any formations. Thus, it is possible to achieve not only the complete removal of the mole, but also prevent possible relapses. After the excision, the scar remains in the place where the mole was.
Home treatment
There are several methods for self-removal of the nevus. Special drugs can be bought at pharmacies. They are drugs with a freezing and necrotizing effect. In addition, you can use the methods of traditional medicine, namely:
1. Celandine. It is an affordable and effective tool for removing moles. For this, celandine juice is applied to the surface of the nevus twice a day. When a black dot forms at the application site, stop treatment and wait two weeks for the growth to dry out and disappear.
2. Soda. The paste from this product is applied to the mole for two weeks. It is necessary each time to wait for its drying, and then rinse. The procedure is repeated twice a day.
3. Garlic. Fresh juice should be treated mole. Avoid contact with healthy skin. For night compresses, you can use garlic soaked for two weeks in vinegar.
4. Iodine. This antiseptic also has a drying effect. Iodine can relieve a mole if applied twice a day.
conclusions
Such moles alone do not cause discomfort to a person. In some cases, they disappear on their own without the use of surgical treatments. However, it should be borne in mind that such growths on the skin require special attention, since they can mutate into a malignant neoplasm.
So, we examined the reasons for the appearance of hanging moles.