Have you ever known somebody who has beauty marks on their face? These beauty marks are pretty common beauty traits but have you ever wondered what they are? What is the big deal about them? If you are looking for more information about these, you are in the right place.

What are beauty marks?

Before diving deep into details, let’s see what beauty marks are. The term beauty mark is basically used to refer to a darker spot on your skin that appears attractive.

Remember some of those iconic celebrities famous for their beauty marks or mole? Yes, yes! You heard it right. Putting moles vs. beauty mark debate to an end, these marks and moles are the same things.

What is interesting about moles? 

While some people consider them as a lucky sign or an indicator of beauty, hearing about moles brings thoughts related to curiosity, health concerns and beauty. Some of the interesting facts about moles are;

1- Not all moles are the same!

 Though all moles appear to be the same they are actually not. When it comes to the types, there are basically three different kinds of moles.

1- Benign nevi- these are most commonly found moles that are usually harmless.

2- Dysplastic nevi- these are moles with irregular edges and can be of many different colours. These moles have the risk of changing into skin cancer (melanoma)

3- Congenital nevi- This third type of moles are heredity in nature or develop soon after birth. Just like dysplastic nevi, these can also turn into cancer.

The similar resemblances of moles can be confusing for anyone. I remember this incident when my cousin was diagnosed with a melanoma mole which he considered pretty normal. Then, he went to a renowned plastic surgeon in Lahore for immediate removal.

2- ABCDE’s of moles are important!

As already discussed, not all moles are harmless or problematic. There are certain things you need to look at in a mole to be problematic. For this, you need to consider the ABCDE of moles. Let me tell you what it is;

A- Asymmetry of a mole when the two halves of the moles are different from each other

B- It means order or the irregular edges of the mole

C- C stands for colour/multicoloured

D- It means diameter, mole size bigger than the size of a pencil eraser  

E- E stands for evolution or the change in the mole

So, if your mole has one or more of these characters you need to see a dermatologist.

My cousin who was diagnosed with melanoma mole basically observed some morphological changes in his mole which lead to the cancer diagnosis. Then, he got treated at Rasheed Hospital Lahore but it was his observation that saved him from a bigger problem. 

3- Not all moles are from birth

While it is generally said that most of your moles are by birth, there are the moles that can appear later in your life. Most of the moles develop before a person reaches 20 years of age. Moles are made from the melanocytes that are responsible for pigment production. So depending upon pigment production and factors like puberty and pregnancy, your moles can appear different.

4- Your skin tone can affect your moles

Most of the time (not all) moles appear on the areas of your body that are exposed to skin. Sun exposure is related to mole formation. Generally, people with fair skin tone tend to have more moles but darker skin tones are not fully resistant towards developing moles or melanoma. But you can avoid excessive skin exposure, ensure self-checks and see a dermatologist if needed.

5- How can you get rid of moles?

It might seem tempting to you to self-experiment and remove a mole on your own. But this approach is totally wrong as you might be damaging your skin leaving bigger scars. But what is the right way to get rid of moles? Well, you can see a dermatologist for mole removal. Depending upon the mole nature, your dermatologist can remove it with laser or by some other kind of surgical procedure.

6- Everything that appears on your skin is not a mole

Well, people generally refer to the things that appear on their skin as moles; however, not every skin growth is a mole. These can be freckles, skin tags, keratosis, lentigines etc.