By Sharon Truelove
As Massage Therapists, many times we see anomalies on our client’s skin that they may not be aware of, and it may be appropriate to inform them that we see or feel something suspicious on their skin and suggest that they see their physician to have it checked out.
When something questionable is detected, educate the client how they may continue to assess themselves at home. After pointing out the mole, use the information listed below. Use a mirror if need be for hard to see areas, like the back. Moles and melanoma do not appear similar. After assessing, if there is any concern, a physician should be consulted.
Asymmetry. If a line is drawn down the middle it would create equals halves. Common moles are symmetrical and round, malignant moles are asymmetrical.
Border. Early malignant melanoma edges or borders are uneven, scalloped, or notched.
Color. Common moles are evenly shaded brown. Differing shades of brown or black often are the first sign of a problem. Black moles darker than other surrounding moles should be checked out by a doctor.
Diameter. Common moles are less than ¼ inch in diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser); anything larger should be checked out.
Elevated. Common moles are smooth, malignant moles are elevated.
Fast-growing. Common moles do not grow fast, if at all. Malignant moles change size rapidly.
A dermatologist suggested to me that if you suspect a mole or anomaly to be changing, use a digital camera and put a ruler by the area being photographed and date it. Take a picture at a later date using the same orientation and compare them. These photographs can be taken with you to the doctor for reference.
Now for the FUN!! Your challenge this week is to observe 3 different moles on 3 different people. One of those people may be yourself. Apply the a, b, c, d, e, f’s of mole assessment, and report your findings in this week’s blog commentary.
This is good information….I will share this with my students!
Thanks!
I checked my daughter and, thankfully, she only has freckles. Then I checked my mother’s arms who also only has freckles since she had most of her moles removed when she was younger. The last person I checked was myself which now has me more stressed than I already have been because I have one of the discolored ones, with two different shades of brown, on my stomach. Who knows how long it has been there since I just noticed it; good news to start the weekend with.
Mole 1. Was symmetrical, the border was well-defined, the color was even, and it was small, but it was elevated and has appeared in the last few weeks. I advised my friend to have a doctor look at it.
Mole 2 was symmetrical, the border was clear, the color was the same, it was small, was not elevated, and has appeared over the last three years or so. My friend has already been to the doctor and he said this mole was ok.
Mole 3 will have to come later as I don’t have one available to look at.
moles can be kind of strange, especially on the back where a client may not be able to see them. i know id like a heads up if things were looking weird back there. good advice
Liam
A-Yes it is symmetrical
B-It has very even borders
C-It is light brown
D-1/6 inch in diameter
E-No elevation
F-No it is not growing at all
Jon
A-Yes it is symmetrical
B-Even
C-No color at all
D-1/4 inch in diameter
E-slight elevation
F-not growing
Jim
A-No it is not symmetrical
B-very uneven
C-Dark in color with a edge that is black
E-It is not elevated
F-It is growing but not fast at all
My son and husbands moles are great and seem to be fine. I took a picture of them to monitor them. My Father’s mole is of concern and is under the care of a dermatologist. He is bald and spent many hours outside selling and managing and his head has taken the blow for it!
all the moles i saw were pretty normal looking. nothing i felt should be reason for alarm, however knowing what to look for could help save someones life. good blog!
Well the one I did on me is normal except for the fact that it is slightly elevated, but I have had it since I can remember. I checked on one that my son has which wasn’t there a year or two ago. Its small, symmetrical, one shade of brown, even edged, not elevated, and doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger in size. I looked at one on my husband and it also seems to be normal.
The one on myself is all one shade of brown, symmetrical, even borders, and not elevated but it has grown over the years. It is still smaller than 1/4 inch though. I also examined one on my mother and her’s was elevated but everything else seemed to be normal. It had even edges, one shade of brown, symmetrical, and less than 1/4 inch. My husband has one on his leg that is not elevated, symmetrical, less than 1/4 inch but has 2 shades of brown. It is dark brown in the middle and gets lighter as it gets closer to the edge.
Checked out a mole on a friend, it wasn’t perfectly asymmetrical, the border wasn’t notched, the color is even, the diameter is less than 1/4 inch, it is elevated, and it is not fast growing- she’s had it her whole life and got the nickname moleye..lol. Another friend also has 2 moles on sides of nose, they are identical in description of the first friend’s mole, she says her mother as the same moles, must be genetic. My 3rd friend has a tiny perfect little mole on the lateral side of her right wrist. It is perfectly asymetric, the border is not raised, the color is even, and it is smaller than 1/4 in diameter.
I have one and its slightly raised and very small. I have always had it. My boyfriend only has one mole and its about the size of a dime. It’s not raised and it just a light brown color. And lastly my mom has a mole that look sketchy that are kinda red, raised, and unevened colored…But she has gotten them checked by a doctor and they are fine.
I have a mole that I keep an eye on right next to my right eye it is small and raise a little bit but it has been there for years. My son also has a small mole that is brown and slightly raised and we have already had it looked at by his doctor and she said it is nothing to be worried about. Last, I looked at my husbands mole it is round and flat and has been there every since we met and it has not changed at all.
I’ve seen a lot of moles, but the ones above in pictures got me surprised how many there are. I personally know my cousin has a lot of them on his back and he had to go to hospital to remove them because they became such an issue. He would either scratch one off on accident or it would be in the way. Either way they can make the person look better or worse.
The first mole i saw was a dark brown and raised a little and it was round in shape. The second one i saw was fleshy color and raised, it looked fluid filled. The third one i saw was smooth and about the size of a Quarter it was dark brown. Good information to be aware of.
I have a mole on the border of my armpit. Its symmetrical, brown, and slightly elevated. I’ve had it for as long as I could remember and it has never gotten any bigger. So I think its fine for now.
I have a mole on my hip, it is slightly asymmetrical and the border is slightly uneven but it has uniform color, the diameter is less than 1/4 in. it is not elevated, and it has been the same size since I was little. My sister has a mole on her armpit, it is slightly asymmetrical, the border is even, the color is uniform, the diameter is less than 1/4 in. it is quite a bit elevated but it has been there for a long time and has remained the same size. My mother has a mole on the posterior side of her neck, it is perfectly symmetrical, the border is regular, the color is uniform, the diameter is about 1/2 cm, it is not elevated at all, and it has always been the same size
I have a mole on my left wrist that has been there forever and is brown but never grows or changes.
I had a client in the past who had a mole on her head that i came across while doing highlights and she never knew it was there and i mentioned it to her it was discolored and raised and I referred her to her doctor about it bc cancer runs in her family.
a friend of mine has a mole on her face that is raised but not discolored or weird in shape
mole #1:
A- Symmetrical
B- even
C- one color
D- diameter is even
E- slightly elevated
F- has not grown
mole #2:
A- symmetrical
B- border is the same all around
C- coloring is even
D- the diameter is even
E- not elevated
F- has not grown
mole #3:
A- the mole is oddly shaped
B- the border is a little uneven
C- the coloring is fine
D- the diameter is just about even
E- not elevated
F- has not grown
mole 1
a- symmetrical
b- even
c- same color, even
d- diameter is even
e- not elevated
f- has not grown
mole2
a- symmetrical
b- even border
c- same color
d- diameter is even
e- elevated
f- has slightly grown
mole3
a- symmetrical
b- border is slightly uneven
c- even color
d- even diameter
e- slightly elevated
f- has not grown
I have a mole that I have had for as long as I can remember. It’s elevated but consistent in color and the borders are even. The size has never changed. The next mole I observed is on my husband. It is also even in color, elevated, and the borders are even. It has only grown slightly in the last few years. The last mole is on my daughter. It is flat, also even in color. The size of it is less than a 1/4 of a inch in diameter.
1
a-symmetrical
b-border looks even
c-color is even
d-small
e-slightly elevated
f-not grown any
2
a-symmetrical
b-border is a little uneven
c-color is even
d-really small
e-not elevated
f-not growing any
3
a-symmetrical
b-border is even
c-color is even
d-kinda small
e-elevated
f-same size as before
The first mole I looked at is my own. My mole is elevated but even in color and borders. It has been the same size for as long as I can remember. The second mole I observed is my husbands. It is even in color but elevated. The edges are also smooth any symmetrical. The last mole I looked at is on my daughter. It is flat, even in color, and symmetrical. It is very small in size.
mole 1
A-Yes it is symmetrical
B-Even
C-No color at all
D-1/8 inch in diameter
E-no elevation
F-not growing
mole 2
A- symmetrical
B- even
C- one color
D- diameter is even
E- slightly elevated
F- has not grown
mole 3
a- symmetrical
b- even
c- same color, even
d- diameter is even
e- elevated
f- has not grown