DO I NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ITCHY MOLES?

Moles are the collection of melanocytes, a type of cells producing melanin or the pigments. They usually developed in people’s early life, and changes slowly over the years. The changes include size, color, or growing hair. Though the changes can happen, it is always slow and over many years. General speaking, any abrupt changes in a mole is not normal.

Why can a mole be itchy?

It is believed that the itchiness might be related to the irritating to the skin by some product, such as a new soap, lotion, detergent or clothes. Often the cause can not be identified. Although rare, a itchy ‘mole’ can be a skin cancer.

This mole-like lesion was noticed by one of our patient on the back due to itchiness. With close examination by our skin cancer doctors, we found that it is actually a Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC).  BCC is the most common skin cancer in Australia. According to a survey conducted by Cancer Council, in 2012 there were over 200,000 BCCs being treated with surgical excision.