Moles on back
I have several moles on my back. They seem a bit dry and are sometimes itchy. I wonder sometimes if I should be getting them checked out by a professional?
I have several moles on my back. They seem a bit dry and are sometimes itchy. I wonder sometimes if I should be getting them checked out by a professional?
American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dear Dee,
Thank you for your clinical post and moles whether on the back or other areas should always be monitored very carefully. Skin cancer is common in Canada and North America as and is increasing in incidence as we spend more time in the sun with less of an ozone layer to protect us from ultraviolet light.
Signs and symptoms of a mole or a lesion that might be pre-cancerous or cancerous include growth, itchiness, pain, occasional bleeding, change in colour and constellations or combinations of these systems should be stimulation for a mole examination. You should seek the advice of a certified dermatologist with skin cancer experience and occasionally when the clinical diagnosis is uncertain with observation, a punch biopsy may be necessary where a small piece is removed under local anesthetic and sent for histological examination.
Constant vigilance of moles is important and if you have a family history or personal history of skin cancers this is even more important. A yearly visit with a mole photography is usually recommended and can often prevent serious life threatening skin cancers before they get too established.
I hope this information has been of some assistance and best of luck.
R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.
Certified Plastic Surgeon
Yorkville, Toronto