Atypical moles have a much greater chance to develop into melanoma than do normal moles. The odds are about 1 in 100 with the former; yet fewer than 1 in 3,000 with the latter. Those who have an atypical mole(s) carry a stronger risk of melanoma. Incidentally, the appearance of hair on any mole is medically irrelevant. It carries no weight with regard to an increased risk of skin cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No one should ever try to tell the two apart without a biopsy; as even a dermatologist cannot be certain without one. However, they do have some distinguishing characteristics that (in general) helps to tell them apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For instance, normal moles maintain the same color (most often brown), are round, oval, and sometimes domed in shape. They have well-defined borders and are less than a quarter-inch wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are two examples of normal moles, both raised and flat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Atypical moles are wider than a quarter-inch and may be multi-colored (brown or pink). They have uneven borders and an irregular shape. Raised dysplastic nevi display a \u201cfried egg\u201d look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are two examples of atypical moles, both raised and flat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing they both do<\/em> have in common is that their surface areas are usually smooth or cauliflower<\/em> in texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Familial Atypical Mole Syndrome<\/em> is a disorder that is passed along through our genes. If any close relatives (immediate family but also including grandparents, uncles and aunts) have or have had melanoma and if a large number of atypical moles are present, there\u2019s a high risk of developing the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While monthly self-examination is important for every person of either gender, all races and skin tones, it\u2019s even more vital to those with Familial Atypical Mole Syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is an example of Familial Atypical Mole Syndrome:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although you\u2019ve surely seen them countless times, you may not be aware that there are two types: normal moles, and atypical moles. (Officially, dysplastic nevi).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11,31,35,43,52,64],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":993,"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions\/993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"normal](\"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/normal-moles-raised-flat.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"atypical](\"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/atypical-mole-raised-flat.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFamilial Atypical Mole Syndrome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Familial](\"https:\/\/melanomaeducation.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/atypicalNevi.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
*Additional source articles: Cancer.gov<\/a>, Emedicine.medscape.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"