Doctor says which moles should be removed early

Why do moles undergo malignant transformation? What factors should you pay close attention to? When should you have a mole removed preemptively? Marina Tsedrik, a skin specialist, senior lecturer at the Department of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology with the advanced training and retraining course of Belarusian State Medical University, covered these and other topics in BelTA’s project On Point. Health.

Many factors influence this. There is a genetic predisposition or a defect in the genes responsible for normal cell division. This can also happen under certain exposures, radiation, vibration, other physical factors, environmental influences, particularly ultraviolet radiation. Certain foods and a sedentary lifestyle also play a role. All these factors can cause genes and chromosomes to break down, and as a result, not only on the skin’s surface but throughout the body, the basic ‘settings’ can change, so to speak.

In what cases should a mole be removed?

When a mole is located in areas prone to frequent trauma. Examples include the neck, especially in men who wear shirts with collars as part of their job, the waist area for both men and women, and the underwear line in women. It’s better to remove it than to keep traumatizing it.

Constant trauma triggers regenerative mechanisms, which in turn triggers cell division. If cell division is already elevated in that area, this leads to an even greater number of cells.