Moleosophy

or

Moleoscopy

Moles

Ever wondered about what that one mole on your foot meant?  Or why you had one mole on each cheek?  Well now you can read your moles from top to toe.

Moles of the skin

Moleoscopy or the study of blemishes, marks and moles on the body dates back to ancient Greeks.  Much can be gleamed from the positions of these marks on your body, such as character traits and even fame and fortune indicators.  Although not as popular as some of the mainstream divination tools  On a serious note, Moles should not go unchecked and this entertainment based oracle is absolutely no replacement for seeking medical guidance.  Moles of the skin or Melanoma can be serious and sometimes potentially fatal if left unchecked.

Melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes predominantly occur in the skin but can be found elsewhere, even the eye.  Melanomas are the most lethal form of skin cancer. As with most forms of cancer, earlier detection gives patients a better chance of survival.

How to spot bad mole?

by: Aleksandr Kavokin MD/PhD

This morning you took a bath. The warm water feels so nice during the cold winter day. There was some funny skin itching on you back. You looked in the mirror, turned this way , that way. There is small mole on your back You remember this spot had been there for years, since childhood. Did this spot get that strange itching?

Recently you have heard the news that there are more than 50000 of new melanoma cases every year. This number grows 3% a year.   What is going on? Is this small spot on you back went out of control?
 

Mole Types

Several types of skin tumors exist. Many are slow growers. Many give rare metastasis. Simple removal cure majority of skin tumors.   Melanoma brings troubles big time.

Melanos = black, oma = tumor.
 

Melanoma Self Examination

You can detect melanoma by self-exam. Skin cancers show themselves much easier than any other types of cancer.

In the same time you can cure melanoma by simple surgical resection. However, catch this tumor in early stage. Late stage metastasize. Surgeon can not cut off every metastasis in your body.  

There are numerous sites dedicated to melanoma self-exam. Just type in the word "melanoma" into any search engine. Follow instructions.

Fair skin people have more chances of getting melanoma. However, dark skin people develop melanoma too.  Everybody has moles. Women even use moles to charm. How to find if your mole became dangerous?
 

Sings of a Melanoma

Dangerous signs include ABCD:   Asymmetry | Border | Color | Diameter

A- asymmetry. Suspicious mole does not look like a round or oval blot. Often, early melanoma looks rather like a blot with an odd shape.

B- borders. Borders become irregular, uneven, fuzzy. The edges of the blots become notched.

C- color. Color of normal mole should be more or less homogenous. Change in color is very suspicious . There are shades of brown, black, tan, red. Mottled color is suspicious.

D- diameter. Change in diameter is suspicious too. Mole that is bigger than 6 mm is suspicious. Everybody compares 6 mm to a pencil eraser (though few people actually use it extensively). Just to get idea about the borderline size.

Besides ABCD there could be other signs of dangerous mole:

E - enlargement and elevation over the time

Also worrisome signs include easy bleeding and erythema (redness) around the mole. Itching and pain in the side of mole make you suspicious as well.  History of melanoma in Family should also raise suspicions.

Some skin problems look like melanoma, but are actually harmless. Anyway, do not gamble with them. Even experienced physician can not always tell if the lesion is malignant or not. It is better to be safe then sorry and check the troubling changes soon.

Some rare types of melanoma exist. Because even obvious melanomas are not always diagnosed on time, the unusual types becomes much more deadlier. Often doctor sees them too late.

Melanoma under the nails. Melanoma of mucous membranes. (Mouth, nose or guts) Amelanotic melanoma - this one is not even colored.
 

Melanoma Treatment

The treatment will be excision with margins and biopsy, but most important of course is to catch melanoma Know that the treatment depends on the thickness of the tumor and the presence of distant metastasis.

Surgeon or dermatologist cuts off the melanoma. Then, Pathologist (doctor specializing in lab diagnostics) looks the sample under microscope.  He classifies the tumor. The grade of the tumor gives the clue to the chances of your survival. 

Melanoma Classifications

There are several classifications; Breslow classification measure the penetration of the lesion into skin by millimeters. Know that > 0.75 mm is already dangerous, but > 4 mm is wacking.   What is 4 mm. It is nothing. Right? Take a ruler and check how 1 mm looks and how 4 mm looks.

So this is why it is important to catch melanoma early.  There is also Clarks classification that measures penetration of the melanoma into the skin and other layers.  TNM classification standardizes the grading.

You can not know the grade unless you excise and measure the melanoma penetration under microscope. It is not a do-it-yourself project. Surgeon and pathologist will do it.   The time of evolvement 1-2 years.  The frequency of melanoma is increasing. It might be because of more people get sun damage. Also other reasons may play role.

Treatment of melanoma includes surgical removal, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy.

Keywords: Melanoma, mole, nevus, dermatology, pathology, surgeon

About The Author  Aleksandr Kavokin MD/PhD,
http://www.geocities.com/hemorrhoids_disease/
Aleksandr Kavokin, MD 1994 Russia, PhD 1997 Russia - Immunology and Allergy, postdoc at Cancer Center at Med U of South Carolina, postdoc at Yale - Cardiology, Molecular Medicine. http://www.kavokin.com http://www.kavokin.uni.cc http://www.geocities.com/hemorrhoids_disease/ http://www.geocities.com/aging_rejuvenation/ http://www.geocities.com/appendicitis_disease/ http://www.geocities.com/melanoma_disease/


Doll image belongs to http://candybar.co.kr
 

Common Skin Conditions:

Dermatitis and Moles

by Claire Bowes

Two of the most common skin conditions are the presence of moles and dermatitis. Moles can have more serious consequences than the irritation of dermatitis.
 

Moles

Moles occur when the cells in the skin that give it its pigment, called melanocytes, grow in clusters. These cells normally grow throughout the skin, but when too many grow in the same place a mole occurs. Most moles appear before the age of 25, but some may appear much later. Moles can remain static or change over time. Although most are not dangerous, some can be malignant and lead to melanoma. Any mole that oozes or becomes painful or sensitive should be checked out by a dermatologist. Moles that suddenly appear after the age of 25 or begin to change or grow should also be evaluated.
 

Evaluating your Moles

When evaluating your moles, keep the following in mind. Moles should be round. If your moles are asymmetrical, or irregular in shape, have it evaluated. If you find a mole that is larger than ¼", mention it to your doctor or dermatologist. If you find that your mole has an irregular or jagged edge, or is not all one color, have your doctor look at it. Finally, any mole that is red or blue may be cause for concern.
 

Treating your Moles

Treating moles is not difficult. If a mole is embarrassing, or becomes irritated under your clothing, you may ask your doctor to remove it. Moles can be frozen with a chemical, after which they dry up and fall off. Other moles can be simply cut off of the skin. Often, doctors will remove entire moles that seem suspicious and test the tissue for cancer. If any malignancy is found, they may cut out a slightly larger area of skin and then suture the site closed.

Check your skin regularly for changes in your moles. If any seem suspicious, or any changes have occurred, let your doctor know. Preventing a problem is as easy as going on "mole patrol."


About the Author
Claire Bowes is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Eczema Causes & Cures. Claire provides more information on her site about Dermatitis & Moles that you can research at home.
 

Terms of Use | Site Map | Copyright 1999-2007 | Advertise on this site | eMail us | NewAgeStore.com for NewAge Forum, Horoscopes, Psychic Readings & Free Tarot