Patients should learn to distinguish between freckles and moles, as some moles can be cancerous. Freckles are small brown spots that can darken or fade with sunlight, while moles are dark-colored growths that may protrude from the skin. Patients can feel, visually examine, and monitor spots to determine if they are moles or freckles. Moles often grow larger over time and may begin to grow hair, while freckles are often seasonal.
There are many types of spots that can appear on the skin. While most of these are benign, some require medical attention because they may be cancerous. Freckles are almost always benign, but some types of moles can be an indication that a patient has some type of skin cancer. It is important for patients to learn to distinguish between types of skin discoloration so they can tell whether a spot is a mole or a freckle. In general, freckles are small brown spots that can darken or fade with exposure to sunlight, while moles are dark-colored growths that often protrude from the surface of the skin.
The first step in determining whether a spot is a freckle or a mole is to feel the spot. When examining a point with the fingertips, the patient can determine if it is raised or if it is flush with the skin. A freckle is never lifted, so a patient will know, if the spot rises above the surrounding skin, that the spot is not a freckle. However, not all moles protrude from the skin, so an unraised spot could be a mole or freckle.
Visual examination of the spot is another way for patients to determine whether an area of discoloration is a mole or freckle. Freckles are often medium to dark brown in color, but many moles are dark brown or black. With advancing age, however, moles tend to lighten and can become medium or light brown in color. Also, freckles are almost always small round spots, while moles can be small or large and may not be circular in shape.
The location of a spot can also be an indication of whether it is a mole or a freckle. Moles can occur all over the body and are not necessarily more prevalent in areas that get a lot of sun exposure. Freckles are often found on the face and arms, where a person is exposed to the most sunlight.
Patients can also examine the spots on the body to see how they change over time. Moles usually don’t go away on their own. They often grow larger over time, both in diameter and higher above the surrounding skin, and may begin to grow hair. Freckles, on the other hand, are often seasonal, darkening in the summer months and lightening or disappearing altogether when the skin is not as exposed to sunlight.
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