Have you ever wondered why those little raised bumps on your skin are called moles? They seem harmless enough, but how do they form in the first place? Don't worry - we've got all the skinny on why your skin gets bumpy.
Let's Talk About Skin Anatomy
Before diving into mole formation, let's briefly talk about what our skin is made up of. Skin is the outermost layer of our body and it protects us from outside elements such as heat, cold, light and bacteria.
Our skin comprises three main layers; The epidermis (the outermost layer), dermis (middle) and subcutaneous tissue or hypodermis(the deepest). It also contains sweat glands for temperature regulation, hair follicles that produce hairs to keep us warm among other functions- not that you need to know these because most people rarely if at all pay attention to their body physiology!
What Exactly Are Moles?
We're not talking about those furry garden-devouring creatures here! We're talking about skin moles - small dark spots that can appear on various places on our bodies including face, arms, legs or even back.
Moles are usually brown/black in color although some can be flesh-colored .They have a slightly raised appearance when compared with normal skin. They vary widely ranging from very tiny ones barely visible to larger ones measuring several millimeters across.
Types of Moles
There are two types of human-made moles:
- Irritated seborrheic keratosis.
- Compound nevi.
Compound nevus consists mostly of melanocyte cells while irritated seborrheic keratosis arises due to aging changes appearing as yellow/brown/skinned warty elevations'for lack of more comprehensible description'.
Lucky for us, moles are usually harmless and require no treatment whatsoever. Take that, pesky warts! But what actually causes them to form in the first place?
Let's Get Technical: How Moles Form
Moles form as a result of something called melanin. Melanin is produced by special cells called melanocytes in our skin.
Melanocytes normally disperse evenly throughout our skin tissue - that is unless our genetic makeup ,sun exposure or certain hormone imbalances trigger a surge in melanocyte growth(which many unfortunately do) .
Often triggered with excessive sun exposure among other things, these supersized 'melanocyte' clusters become visible on the surface of your skin - hence why they appear like dark little spots(brown/black tiny speck on your arm? Yeah that guy!).
Types of Moles Based On Formation
There are three types of human-made moles based on formation:
- Congenital (present at birth)
- Junctional Mole
- Dysplastic mole
Congenital nevi ,as suggested by their name refer to those acquired right from day 1(jealous much?). Persons presenting with >/=20 cm2 congenital moles have high risk if not checked up regularly
Junctional mole refers to when melanocytic cluster locate at ling between epidermis and dermis (EpiDemis+DermIS"junction").
Lastly dysplastic nevus being a type which experts consider intermediate stage before becoming cancerous, but it rarely attains this stage(most growths don't come near this point).If detected early always beneficial(some people believe prevention isn't only better than but very crucial!).
Can Moles Be Dangerous?
Once again we reiterate-the vast majority of all human made/humanly obtained(wouldn't say body snatched!) moles are harmless and require no treatment. However, in rare cases they can grow larger or change shape/appearance .This may well just signify the ageing process is taking effect.
On occasion though, it could be a sign of skin cancer - so if you're ever worried about one particular mole ,ensure you get checked up by a medical practitioner!
Can We Get Rid Of Moles?
Occasionally moles are removed for cosmetic reasons or because there's suspicion that they might become unhealthy growths.
A trained medical professional would remove them via excision biopsy i.e cut out the entire graft from beneath sometimes opting to stitch up afterwards minimising scarring seen after procedures!
We're not condoning making rash decisions here, but all we're saying is you could have those little bumpy things removed without living with any scars as leftovers/ remnants/"proof" of ragged skin.
Summing Up: Embrace Your Skin
Moles are essentially clusters of melanocytes in our skin that bunch together- producing tiny bumps/small dark spots which mostly don't cause harm. Of course on rare occasions these formations may indicate nascent tumours however routine checks every few months might help combat such outcomes.
In general it's best practice to embrace your appearance and love yourself- moles included(!) Afterall isn't loving ourselves irrespective of hormone imbalances(which triggers melanocyte grouping)reason enough? Take care folks ,remember prevention saves lives !