Lot of people are afraid when moles appears on the skin because they are thinking that it could be cancerous . So what causes moles to appear? Moles are actually normal changes in the skin. They could be present at birth. They could appear any time till you are in your early 40’s. When you see sudden onset of moles you could be mistaking moles for other things such as freckles such as sun damage, such as BPN, which are extra skin growth or it could be a real mole also. In Indian skin we are protected by the presence of melanin. So common skin cancers which are mole associated skin cancers such as melanoma are relatively uncommon. However if you see a mole that has suddenly started to itch and rapidly grow in size, started to bleed, then it is time to bring it to the attention of a dermatologist who will be able to examine it under the dermatoscopy and maybe excise and send it for biopsy, for histopatholgical examination. This being said, melanoma based skin cancers are truly uncommon in Indian subcontinent. However it is best to be aware with changing lifestyle, to be aware of moles which are cropping out and get it examined by a dermatologist.
