Dr. Mauricio’s advice: If you discover a new “blemish or mole” that seems peculiar to you, go to see your doctor. If necessary, he can perform a biopsy to identify the source of the abnormality, and decide the appropriate treatment option, whether cryosurgery (cold surgery), laser, cauterization, or surgery (scalpel).
The skin is one of the organs in the human body experiencing ongoing exposure to the environment. Living in a coastal area, with continuous exposure to the sun and frequent injuries, we should pay special attention to the areas exposed to ultraviolet radiations such as the face, neck, upper chest, lips, forearms, and back of the hands since they are the most affected.
The skin
People with fair skin, red or blond hair, and blue eyes are more sensitive and experience more damage by radiation due to low production of melanin, which is the dark pigment generated by the melanocytes or pigment-producing cells of the skin; they protect us from the solar radiation.
Skin abnormalities such as moles can have many different causes. Some are malignant and others are benign; some of them have been with us for a long time, and others just showed up; they might have one or many colors.
It is important to identify a possible malignant lesion by observing the following characteristics: recent appearance, itch, pain or bleeding, multiple colors, irregular shape and undefined borders. It is necessary to notice if the area is exposed to either the sun or continuous friction, and if it shows fast growth. Usually, not all the mentioned characteristics can be observed at once. Sometimes it is difficult to identify the problem because none of them is present.
Contact information: Bahía Ballena Medical Center
