How to distinguish types of moles in children
There are children more likely to have freckles, moles and spots on the skin. They are usually very white skinned children. But dark skin does not get rid of the risk of developing a melanoma or skin cancer. If your child has moles, observe them well, in case someone is not normal. Doctor Ángela Her
There are children more likely to have freckles, moles and spots on the skin. They are usually very white skinned children. But dark skin does not get rid of the risk of developing a melanoma or skin cancer. If your child has moles, observe them well, in case someone is not normal. Doctor Ángela Hernández Martín, dermatologist at Hospital Niños Jesús in Madrid, explains how to detect a malignant mole and how to distinguish the types of moles in children . How to detect a malignant mole on the skin of the childWhat should we observe in a mole or a spot on the skin to see if it has anomalous characteristics, which might make us suspect skin cancer?
The most frequent pigmented lesions in young children are moles. During childhood they appear progressively, more often at the level of the trunk, and it also seems that there is a very important influence of the sun on the development of moles or nebus. In children, in general, all moles will be benign. But what signs should concern us and alert parents to take them to the dermatologist and rule out possible skin cancer? We have the rule of A, B, C, D and E.A, of asymmetry.
B, with irregular edges.Nebular or benign mole has rounded edges, while those that can be bad have angled edges, which extend more through one area than another.
C, colored.Color heterogeneity can be an alert symbol.
D, in diameter.A diameter greater than 0.5 cm makes us look at the mole more closely because there may be skin cancer underneath it.
E, elevation.The elevation, when there is a small relief that can be felt and not only seen.
Any of these signs should make us consult with the dermatologist. They are not by themselves irrefutable signs of malignancy, but they are a symbol of alarm that should put us on alert.How to distinguish the different types of moles in children
Freckles in young children are often constitutional. Usually, these freckles are located on the nose and on the cheeks, and they are seen a lot in white children, of very clear phototype or redheads. In principle, they are something constitutional that will have a lifetime, increase and darken in summer, but they are not worrisome. There are other types of freckles that may be indicative of some type of disease, but generally do not go unnoticed by the pediatrician because they are accompanied by other manifestations, not only skin.
But ... How can we distinguish between different types of freckles?
The freckles that appear on the shoulders and on the upper part of the trunk, such as at the neckline or upper back,are the product of repeated sunburn,
of intense burns that the child has suffered in the first days that go to the beach and that reflect, in a certain way, little caution towards sunburn, either because the child has used little protection or because he has not repeated enough the application of the protector after bathing or simply because it has burned in the central hours of the day. It is important that children protect themselves from the sun, that it is a habit that they acquire from childhood, and that both parents and children take into account that on cloudy days, on mountain excursions, and in those days It seems that it will only be half an hour because the sun does not shine much, this can cause the child an important sunburn. The use of shirts is the only absolute protector of the skin, it must be taken into account. Therefore, I strongly advise that the child wear a shirt when he is on the beach or goes to the mountain, if he has a risk of burning. Now there are special fabrics that breathe very well and that protect well from the sun.
