# Are my birthmarks and moles in my DNA?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-birthmarks-and-moles-in-my-dna/485375>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 11, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-birthmarks-and-moles-in-my-dna/485375 "2009-02-11T15:53:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-birthmarks-and-moles-in-my-dna/485375/1 "2009-02-11T15:53:27Z")

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If I was to clone myself would my clone have the same birthmarks and moles?

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**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-birthmarks-and-moles-in-my-dna/485375/2 "2009-02-11T15:58:34Z")

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I don’t think so, maybe your propensity to have moles or birthmarks is genetically determined, but the exact lacation etc…I think not. Just as nurishment and exercising may cause two identical clones to grow up to be quite different adult humans.

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-birthmarks-and-moles-in-my-dna/485375/3 "2009-02-11T16:52:10Z")

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Identical twins generally don’t, so probably no. In fact, identical twins don’t have the same fingerprints.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-birthmarks-and-moles-in-my-dna/485375/4 "2009-02-11T19:00:25Z")

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I’m sure it depends on the particular mole. I have a small bump on the left side of my nose, and my grandfather and one of my uncles both have a mole just like it in exactly the same place. That one’s pretty clearly genetic.