Hair & Makeup

Should I Have Moles Removed?

I’ve noticed that I’ve developed a few new moles on my shoulders and arms. These make me nervous. Should I ask my doctor to remove them?

If you’re over age 20, you should get any new moles examined by your doctor. He or she should be able to tell if there is any cause for concern. In most cases there’s no medical reason to remove moles unless they’re in an inconvenient spot and become irritated when clothing rubs against them. If you do choose to remove them.

Some doctors ”map” the body, meaning they use high-resolution cameras to take photos that serve as a template. The doctor then compares your old pictures with your new pictures. But most people don’t need that sort of check-up; in fact, mapping is useless for most of the population. Some people, of course, develop atypical moles.

”These people should probably get mapped because they’re more prone to melanoma,” he says. ”It’s also true that the more moles you have, the likelier you are to develop melanoma. By age 30 most white people have about 25 moles; darker-skinned people have fewer.

If you have more than 100 moles, your risks are higher. But many people don’t realize that only one in five melanomas arise from moles, so the moles should not necessarily be seen as actual precursors to melanoma.”

In most cases, then, moles are just what they’ve always been known as: beauty marks. Our final words of advice? ”Love ’em and leave ’em!”