Sometimes they appear right at birth, other times they develop over the years and won’t appear until a couple years of age.  Most causes of birthmarks are completely harmless and result from:

·         Too much pigment in an area

·         Too little pigment in an area

·         An overgrowth of blood vessels

Typically benign birthmarks are a “coffee with milk” color, they are completely flat with no irregularities and they do not have any hair growing from it. For benign cases, sometimes laser treatments can help diminish birthmarks.  You can also look for patterns between the birthmark and other systemic problems -- some can be linked with other health problems.  For example, some birthmarks can be linked with kidney or eye problems, but this is not common.

Examining or scanning your moles can help you notice if there is something to cause concern or point to potential skin cancer. Here’s what to look for when examining skin lesions/moles for cancer:

1.       Asymmetry:  Normal moles or freckles are completely symmetrical.  If you were to draw a line through a normal spot, you would have two symmetrical halves.  In cases of skin cancer, spots will not look the same on both sides.

2.       Border:  A mole or spot with blurry and/or jagged edges can be indicative of cancer

3.       Color:  Normal spots are usually one color.  This can include lightening or darkening of the mole.  A mole that is more than one hue is suspicious and needs to be evaluated by a doctor.

4.       Diameter:  If it is larger than a pencil eraser (about 1/4 inch or 6mm), it needs to be examined by a doctor.  This is includes areas that do not have any other abnormalities (color, border, asymmetry).

5.       Elevation or Evolving:  Elevation means the mole is raised above the surface and has an uneven surface.  Any change — in size, shape, color, elevation, or another trait, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting — points to danger.

Skin cancer affects people of all ages and races, and it most often develops on the areas of a person’s skin most exposed to the sun.  It is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in the U.S., with more than 3.5 million diagnoses annually.  According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer diagnoses equal more than the new diagnoses of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. Because skin cancer is one of the only cancers you can see, detecting it can be much easier than other cancers. Everyone should take advantage of this by remembering the “ABCDE’s” we mentioned above.