What will happen if you tear off a mole

Today's view of birthmarks in people who do not have the right information is a mixture of truth and fiction.

Here are the most common myths:

• Birthmarks to a man are given at birth;
• Places of their location on the body coincide with relatives;
• If you tear off a mole, death from cancer is inevitable.

How are things going in reality?

• The whole person wears 25-30 moles. 90% of them occur gradually, the process lasts a lifetime;
• Not only with brothers and sisters, but even with twins, birthmarks are in completely different places;
• If the birthmark is damaged once, there will be no cancer.

However, not all so simple.

Many put the question "What will happen if you tear off a birthmark?" In terms of maximum danger. After all, it is known that after such incidents people still died.

A tragic outcome is possible only in one case. If the mole itself turned into a malignant tumor called melanoma, it grew and changed regardless of the trauma. Then the smallest parts of it sooner or later come off and swim away through the blood vessels. Hooked anywhere in the body, melanoma cells begin to multiply uncontrollably and form metastases (new cancerous tumors). This process is really fatal, irreversible. Melanoma is not treated and inevitably leads to death.

But if it is not ripped off, the cancer will develop without trauma in the same way as with trauma.

A small statistic should calm those who are especially afraid.

Dying of melanoma 0.2% - per 1000 people, two unhappy. And from banal poisoning in alcoholic intoxication - 10%, i.e. Hundred people per 1000 live. From cardiovascular excesses (acute heart failure, myocardial infarction , etc.) - 50%, that is, five hundred people for every 1000 people living. It makes sense to relax: most likely, those who are afraid of damaged birthmarks, will die from drunkenness or from a heart attack.

What happens if you tear off a birthmark that is not a melanoma? For example, it is a benign tumor of the papilloma (an outgrowth of white-pink color, slightly elongated) or simply a pigmented spot. Suppose, such a birthmark was inadvertently shaved.

The answer, most likely, will appeal to those who have increased anxiety: there will be nothing to worry about! The wound will heal. In its place either there will be no traces, or a small scar will remain, or a new birthmark will grow, very similar to the old one. About melanoma, in this case, there can be no question. Of course, experimenting and ripping the birthmark many times in one place is not worth it. If she has grown again, it is better to see a doctor and he will remove it professionally.

What happens if you tear off a mole and begin to bleed profusely?

Finally calm down. Now this is definitely not cancer. Such birthmarks are called angiomas, these are accumulations of blood vessels. They have nothing to do with melanoma. Apply gauze bandage, fix it with adhesive tape. Wait until the blood stops and go to the doctor to completely get rid of the problem.

If the birthmark is always rubbing clothes or shoes, the doctor will also remove it without dangerous consequences.

However, for the sake of revealing the truth, it is worth looking at the nature of moles and on the other hand.

Benign tumors, called nevi (birthmarks) appear in children and adolescents, as well as during pregnancy. Under the skin of a person live melanocytes - brown pigment (staining) cells. Their purpose is to protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation, which is part of the sunlight. Over time, melanocytes move to the surface of the skin and protrude on it in the form of moles.

The accumulations of these cells do not present any harm. But their possible rebirth is dangerous. Melanoma develops from five to fifty years, and this can not be seen until the stage of its activity has come. But the problem is that at this stage the cancer is already incurable, or its treatment requires serious procedures for health, the success of which is not guaranteed.

Of all the external stimuli that can lead to the development of melanoma, the sun is the most dangerous. The ultraviolet radiation affects melanocyte nuclei, and then the cells lose the ability to die. Their reproduction can not be stopped further. Collecting, they form a malignant (cancerous) tumor.

To avoid trouble, you can not sunbathe too much. And it is very undesirable to tan the birthmark with the sun. It is better to hide them from the sun's rays.

Pregnant women are also at risk. The body undergoes hormonal restructuring, during which the skin changes. When pregnancy, whenever possible, you should avoid the sun.

Mechanical injuries, as mentioned above, can not turn a benign nevus into melanoma. However, if you tear off a mole that has already begun to change, then the process of degeneration can intensify.

How do you know if a nevus has turned into melanoma?

Carefully consider the following features:

• The nevus changes color. The color is intensified or weakened, it becomes uneven. The mole fills with a ring, red or dark.
• The nevus peels, itches, burns or tingles.
• The contours of the nevus are "blurred", losing their clarity.
• The nevus is enlarged and compacted.
• On the nevus, cracks appeared, it bleeds, although there was no trauma.

Any of these signs is an excuse to run to a doctor-oncodermatologist. If such a specialist in a medical institution is not available, you must first contact a dermatologist (skin diseases specialist), and then - to an oncologist. You can not wait for an hour in such cases.

How do doctors do if it was required to get rid of a birthmark? You can delete the following methods:

• Surgical laser;
• Using an electric coagulator (see explanation below);
• Cryodestruction method (instantaneous freezing to ultralow temperature);
• With the help of a conventional scalpel.

How does removal occur in each of these cases?

It is generally accepted that the method of laser surgery is the most modern. With the help of a laser beam, it is possible to accurately reach the pigment cells. The skin thus remains in full safety, not being exposed to cuts.

With the help of the laser, the patency of small vessels can be reduced to zero, creating an artificial thrombus in each of them. In this way, the way of spreading the metastases by the blood flow is overlapped.

Laser surgery is painless and done quickly. With their help the nevus is removed irrevocably. At the same time, if the laser is managed by a specialist of insufficiently high class, there is a danger of obtaining after the operation areas of deep scars on the skin.

For electrocoagulation, a special device is used. This is a miniature loop, which is heated by electricity to the required temperatures. It covers the nevus and burns it without a trace. After the operation, one or two weeks must be put on the skin as if it were a burn. If the coagulation was deep, scars can not be avoided. At the same time, the tissue of the removed nevus remains so fresh and safe that it is convenient to immediately send it to laboratory tests.

In cryodestruction, liquid nitrogen is used. Specialists consider this method more suitable for cosmetic surgery than for the removal of dubious nevi. It is impossible to control the effect of nitrogen. If it is too weak, the mole can only partially retire. If it is excessive, scar tissue will form.

Moles are removed surgically - the usual scalpel - if it is a large benign education from three to five centimeters and the operation is cosmetic. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, stitches are applied.

It is very important to carry out medical recommendations in the postoperative period. The crust is to be treated with antiseptic preparations. If it is ripped off, complications are possible - from scars to new metastases. It must remain absolutely dry until it falls off.

The place of removal of the birthmark is forbidden to substitute the sun within two weeks after the operation.

So, what happens if you tear off a mole?

The serious answer to this question depends on how well the information is owned by the person who answers it.