Wellness Guide

Moles vs. Skin Melanoma

Moles: A mole, also known as nevus, is a benign tumor that doesn’t contain cancerous cells and does not pose any health risk. Most moles typically occur in childhood or adolescence and do not change their size, shape or color.

The nevi can be removed through surgery, but only if they cause discomfort or are unaesthetic. Moles are not a cause for worry; however, if you have more than 50 moles on your body, you are more prone to developing melanoma.

Skin Melanoma: The skin melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer. The melanoma is a colored tumor with asymmetrical shape that grows at a fast rate and may spread to other areas of the body. The melanoma may start off by looking just like a mole, but will develop quickly and may change its shape, size and color. Melanomas may bleed.

There are several types of melanomas including superficial spreading melanoma, nodular melanoma (black), lentigo maligna (flat, freckled like spots), acral lentiginous melanoma (dark patch) or amelanotic melanomas (pinkish).

You should check your body for tumors on a regular basis, making sure to look at areas that are less visible; use 1 or 2 mirrors to help you. The sooner a melanoma is detected, the higher chances of recovery.

A good way to distinguish between moles and melanomas is to use the ABCDE rule. This is a guide that should be used whenever you detect a growth on the surface of your skin.

A for asymmetry: If the tumor is asymmetrical, there are high chances that it is a melanoma. Moles usually have a regular shape

B for border: Melanomas may have irregular borders, while moles have rounded and regular edges

C for color: Melanomas have uneven coloration and may change their color. Moles are typically pink or brown and evenly colored and will not change their coloration

D for diameter: Melanomas are typically larger than 6 millimeters (the size of a pencil eraser) and may expand. Moles are smaller in size and will not grow

E for evolution: Melanomas evolve in a short period of time (within weeks). Moles remain constant for years and rarely if ever grow.

The ABCDE guide is a good starting point. There may be some deviations so dermatologist is the person to guide you.

What are Acne Cleansers

Acne cleansers are used to remove accumulated oil, make-up, sweat, and dirt on the surface of your skin. By removing this upper layer of dirt, these products generally make it easier for topical acne treatments to be absorbed. However, excessive use of acne cleansers can also lead to irritated dry skin. Most acne patients will only need to cleanse with such products once to twice daily.

There are many types of cleansers:

1) Salicylic acid cleansers:

These break down keratin in the blackheads, and can be used for mild acne.

• PANOXYL® CLEAR ACNE CLEANSING GEL (Stiefel)
• SALAC® (Medicis)
• CLEARASIL® (Procter & Gamble)
• FOSTEX® (Bristol-Myers Squibb)
• NOXZEMA® (Procter & Gamble)
• AVEENO® BAR (SC Johnson)

2) Benzoyl peroxide cleansers:

Breaks down keratin in blackheads, and has antibacterial effects.

• PANOXYL® BAR, PANOXYL® CREAMY WASH, PANOXYL® WASH – (Stiefel)
• BENZAC-W® wash – (Galderma)
• CLEARASIL® – (Procter & Gamble)
• CLEAN & CLEAR® – (Johnson & Johnson)

3) Antibacterial cleansers:

• TRISAN© (Dermtek)
• TERSASEPTIC® (Stiefel)

What is Cellulite?

Cellulite is one of the most common skin conditions affecting women and men. More than 90% of women and even a small percentage of men develop cellulite at some point in their lifetime.

Cellulite is described as the dimpled, “cottage cheese” appearance commonly found on the upper thighs, buttocks, lower abdomen, and hips. It forms when pockets of fat become trapped in between fibrous connective tissue called septae. The septae are what neatly hold our body’s fat cells into compartments and form the structure for our skin. The more weight that is put on these tissues, the more the trapped fat cells gets pushed through, causing bulges and lumps to appear on the surface of the skin. Men have more solid fibrous tissue structures and thus, are less susceptible to developing cellulite.