Do you want to know if skin cancer threatens you? Recalculate birthmarks on hand

Researchers say that the number of moles on your arm is a good predictor of the risk of skin cancer. The study of a specific area of your hand will be able to give full information.

How to determine if you are at risk?

Scientists have discovered a new way that can determine the risk of developing skin cancer: just look at your own hand.

Researchers at King's College in London found that having more than 11 moles on your arm is an indicator of an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

For the study, the researchers used data from nearly 3,600 twins. Data were collected between January 1995 and December 2003. The twins examined the skin, recorded its type, as well as the color of the hair and eyes, the presence of freckles and counted the number of moles in 17 different parts of the body.

Results of the study

British scientists have found that the right arm is the best in predicting how many birthmarks a person has on his body. In people with 11 birthmarks on their right hand, their total number exceeded one hundred. This is an indicator of possible skin cancer. Since this research was done in England, a country with right-hand traffic, it can be assumed that it is the right hand of the British that suffers most from the sun. In countries with left-hand traffic, such as ours, the number of moles should still be counted on the left hand. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, most adults in the world have between 10 and 40 moles on their bodies.

According to studies conducted already in America, every fifth adult person has a risk of developing skin cancer. Only in 2015, 73780 cases of invasive melanoma were diagnosed - the most deadly form of skin cancer.

The new study was designed to make it easier for people to count birthmarks on the body and assess their own risk of developing skin cancer. And experts say that they succeeded.

Counting all birthmarks on the body is a rather difficult process that takes a lot of time. Therefore, the method found is an easy way to find out if you are in danger.

Genetics plays an important role in the development of skin cancer. However, the lifestyle is the main factor when it comes to the development of melanoma. And birthmarks can be an indicator of this.

Moles on the right hand are associated with the risk of developing melanoma in humans simply because they show how long a person is in the sun.

The researchers found that it is the shoulder part of the arm (above the elbow) that is a good predictor of the risk of skin cancer in humans.

If the birthmarks are located on the shoulder, this means that the hands themselves were in the sun, and any precautions the person most likely did not use. The fact that there are a lot of moles on the hands suggests that an extreme amount of sunlight got on the skin.

How do you know if you have a mole or a freckle?

Moles often appear as small pigment spots of dark brown color. Their appearance is caused by a cluster of pigment cells. They are half a centimeter in diameter and can be smooth or wrinkled, flat or convex, round or oval in shape.

Freckles are always flat, usually light brown and can disappear after the sun no longer actively influences them. They do not contain any cells that have skin pigment producing melanin, while moles have it.

Risk group

The risk of developing skin cancer is affected by people with red or light hair, those that burn easily in the sun, men over 50 and people who have had melanoma in their family.

To reduce this risk, it is recommended to apply sunscreen daily (even in winter), limit the time spent in the sun and wear protective clothing when you are not exposed to the harmful effects of sunlight.

The main thing in the treatment of melanoma is its early detection. That's why you should visit a dermatologist once a year and check birthmarks, even if you are not at risk. It is important to remember that people with darker skin later diagnose skin cancer later, which makes treatment much more difficult.

So count your moles and see if there are more than eleven there. If so, arrange a meeting with a dermatologist as soon as possible.