Atypical mole syndrome, also known as dysplastic nevus syndrome, only affects about one percent of the Caucasian population but is a strong risk factor for developing melanoma at sometime during a lifetime. What this syndrome is, is a skin condition which gives rise to many moles, usually over 100 on an adult, and typically starts around the age of 5 or later in childhood. This is the proper time to teach children about care for the skin when exposed to sun and getting them to a dermatologist who can look at new moles as they arise.
Two types of atypical mole syndrome exist. One is familial atypical mole and the other is melanoma syndrome. The first is that which is hereditary. One or more members of a family will have a large number of moles over the entire body. Someone with melanoma syndrome doesn’t have a hereditary inclination toward the syndrome, but just happens to have many moles.
One way to determine the presence of atypical mole syndrome is the presence of more than 100 moles, 10 of which have atypical features and which should probably be removed by biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure which involves cutting out the mole and some surrounding skin and having it sent to a laboratory to determine if the lesion is malignant. If the method of freezing or burning the mole off is used, than there is no way to detect any cancer and a person could be unnecessarily at risk for melanoma.
Most people do not acquire moles after the age of 30 and many moles will fade away as a person ages. When moles are seen on children as young as five and on the scalp, hip or buttock, it is a warning sign that child should be watched carefully for signs of melanoma. Children rarely get the skin cancer but it can happen and children have died from it. Particularly, young men are at risk for becoming gravely ill with it, if not detected early and treated.
Watch moles for any change in size, color and if there is any discharge. This is the first line of defense against melanoma. When caught in its earliest stages, melanoma can be 85 to 100 percent curable. But once it invades the deeper layers of the skin and gets into the lymphatic system, the chances for surviving five years dramatically decreases.
Individuals can do their own monthly checks for changes in moles or with the help of a friend or family member. Taking photographs of the moles, professionally or doing your own, is also a way of following up the care of your skin. For people with many different moles on the entire body, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. With photographs that are close up enough, changes can be easily detected by comparing the current condition of the mole with the past picture. And always watching for any change at all because even a mole which doesn’t have the typical appearances of melanoma may indeed, be skin cancer.
When you are dealing with this type of skin cancer it is no time to be leery of bothering your doctor or thinking you would be afraid of the pain. A simple shot of lidocaine and possibly one or two stitches is nothing compared to the recovery from major surgery trying to remove tumors spreading into different parts of the body.
Pay attention to sun exposure times, wear protective clothing and visit the dermatologist immediately if there are any signs at all a mole has changed in anyway.
