ew Research shows that people with 11 or more moles on one arm indicates that they have a higher-than-average risk of developing melanoma or other types of skin cancers.
Additionally, people with more than 100 moles on their entire body are five times as likely to develop the disease.
The report comes with the release of a recent study that looked at twins to determine if the number of moles on their bodies had an effect on the likelihood that they would develop skin cancer.
Melanoma is a dangerous form of skin cancer that develops from abnormal moles. The more moles a person has, the greater the likelihood that one of the moles will develop into melanoma.
While moles are not directly linked to sun exposure, an increase in exposure to the sun can cause moles that are already on the body to transform into malignant forms of cancer. However, the majority of moles are completely harmless.
People are being advised to watch their moles, especially if they receive a bad sunburn.
Moles that become larger, start to itch, bleed or become uneven in color or texture are signs that the mole might have become cancerous.
Scientists are advising people to use sunscreen with high SPF levels. They recommend that sunscreen has at least an SPF rating of 15. SPF stands for sun protection factor.
Additionally, people are advised to stay out of the sun whenever possible. People with many moles or freckles are recommended to take extra caution by covering up their vulnerable skin with clothing.
If a sunburn does occur, ibuprofen and paracetamol are recommended to treat the pain. The application of cool water and calamine lotion can also help.
The lead author for the study Simone Ribero said, “The findings could have a significant impact for primary care, allowing GPs to more accurately estimate the total number of moles in a patient extremely quickly via an easily accessible body part.”
Basically, people should count their moles in order to determine if they are at a high risk of developing skin cancer. Additionally, watching moles for changes in size, shape, color or texture is also advised.
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