Moles (known to all of us as "moles") are skin manifestations consisting of many concentrated melanocytes. Melanocytes are specialized skin cells that produce melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its colour tone. Some nevi are flat, others are prominent and vary in colour. They are usually darker in colour than the rest of the skin.

There are nevi that appear at birth (congenital nevi), while the rest appear gradually until the age of 40 or so. They can appear on any part of the body. The number of moles each person has is mainly related to hereditary factors (genes) and cumulative exposure to sunlight, especially during childhood and adolescence.

There are several morphological types of nevi. For some of them (dysplastic/atypical) there is a higher probability of melanoma. These are usually larger in size with asymmetry or variegation.

Suspicious spots for development malignancy (melanoma) are those that show changes in shape, colour, size, bleeding, itching or other symptoms, as well as those that appeared after the age of 40.

Every person who has moles needs a complete dermatological examination and assessment of the risk of developing malignancy. This is done by trained Dermatologist with the help of special devices (dermatoscope). In case of doubt, we proceed to surgical removal of the lesion and histological examination (biopsy), which will provide the final answers.