# What is a mole? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359 "2002-12-08T21:17:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/1 "2002-12-08T21:17:56Z")
This afternoon, I found a small growth on my neck. I snipped it off with a pair of scissors, then cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide. Where did it come from? Where was it yesterday? Is it now gone forever? Info, please. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/2 "2002-12-08T22:07:10Z")
Make sure you get them all, 'cause they’ll ruin your lawn… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/3 "2002-12-08T23:22:07Z")
Yuck it up, smart guy–and by “smart guy”, I mean **CENSORED!**. Above remark censored by me, to keep my kiester out of trouble with the Mods. How about a _real_ answer? ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/4 "2002-12-08T23:41:26Z")
If it’s multi-colored, asymmetrical, or been changing shapes, you really should get it checked out by your doctor. There’s a chance it could be cancerous, which can only be determined by a biopsy. A real medical type will probably be along to fill in with details. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/5 "2002-12-09T00:19:59Z")
If the thing has been there all your life, but you just sort of noticed it, probably no big deal. If it has just appeared, could be big deal. Please see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/6 "2002-12-09T00:57:16Z")
[“What is a mole?”](http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/topics/skin09.htm#mole) Moles don’t usually appear overnight. I’m a Spaniard and have lots because my skin is a darker hue. They’ve pretty much all been with me from the day I left the womb. Moles that just “appear” aren’t a good sign. However, sometimes you go your whole life taking them for granted and you don’t really think about them. One day I “noticed” a mole and panicked thinking it was new. Had to dig up a photo from a couple years ago to make sure it had always been there (yup, it had always been there, I was just so used to it that I forgot about it). I’ve had one mole removed because I _thought_ it looked bigger and ragged around the edges. It was non-cancerous. (Tidbit of info: one doctor told me that moles that have hairs groing out of them are almost always benign. Ugl, but harmless.) I’ve found that moles tend to go deep into the skin and hurt like crazy if anything happens to them (e.g. you fall off your bike and scrape one - ow! ow! ow!) If you’d snipped of a mole it would’ve hurt like bloody hell! BTW _never_ mess with a mole on your own. There are also [**skin tags**](http://www.focusonskin.com/script/main/art.asp?li=MNI&ArticleKey=7234&page=1#1whatis) which are abnormal growths (also harmless) that look like well, “little tags”. It’s a hyperplasia (the skin cells just happily go through a super-growth spurt and then leave this weirdo thing sticking up that kind of looks like a zit, but without the pustule. Typically a skin tag is removed (for cosmetic reasons) by freezing it with liquid nitrogen. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/7 "2002-12-09T01:21:03Z")
> [@](#): > > I snipped it off with a pair of scissors Gross, gross, and double-gross! ---
**Author:** ![benson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@benson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benson)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/8 "2002-12-09T02:40:18Z")
Whoa. Never ever remove something like that on your own. It could be dangerous. Let a doc handle that sort of thing ---
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/9 "2002-12-09T02:52:39Z")
**I snipped it off with a pair of scissors, then cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide.** :eek: I think you should have considered this more carefully. I hope it heals properly. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/10 "2002-12-09T03:46:10Z")
IANAMD but my guess is that what you had there was a [skin tag](http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/medicine/dermatology/melton/skintag1.htm). Skin tags are little extra bits of skin that appear for no apparent reason that any dermatologist has ever been able to explain to me. I’ve had some removed by doctors and I’ve had a few that I’ve numbed up with ice and taken off with a razor blade. I second the suggestion that should you find any more that you have them diagnosed by a doctor before you do anything to them yourself. The only reason I was willing to remove some of my own was because I knew what they were. ---
**Author:** ![TheRochester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@TheRochester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheRochester)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/11 "2002-12-09T04:30:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\* > I snipped it off with a pair of scissors, then cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide. > \*\* I prefer using fingernail clippers to remove moles. I clipped a gross one off and kept it in some water until I could bring it into the doctor, but it more or less disintegrated. ---
**Author:** ![maybelze05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@maybelze05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maybelze05)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/12 "2002-12-09T05:19:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheRochester \* > \*\*I prefer using fingernail clippers to remove moles. I clipped a gross one off and kept it in some water until I could bring it into the doctor, but it more or less disintegrated. \*\* :eek: omg fingernail clippers??? ewwww are u serious?! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/13 "2002-12-09T07:23:11Z")
I always think that moles on your body should be hyperlinks on web pages. After you notice one, it should change color, so you know you don’t have to check it again. ---
**Author:** ![choosybeggar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/14 "2002-12-09T15:38:19Z")
I think it’s nasty to snip or clip growths off at home but to each his own. My primary concern with this practice is that by not submitting it to a pathology lab, you may miss the opportunity to detect an early melanoma. Your growths are more likely skin tags than melanoma. Melanoma, however, is very curable if diagnosed early, near universally fatal if discovered at more advanced stages. Last month during my Heme/Onc rotation I took care of a dude (40 yo) who had a buddy clip off a bothersome mole from his neck. One year later, he noted some swelling in the area. The swelling was a lymph node invaded by melanoma cells. Over the year his chances of survival fell from 90% to 5-10%. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/15 "2002-12-09T17:19:16Z")
I don’t really know if it _was_ a mole. It was this tiny, white _thing_ sticking straight up of of my neck. Kind of rubbery & flexible, 3-4 mm long. Bled when I cut it off. ---
**Author:** ![Richard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Richard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/16 "2002-12-09T17:24:38Z")
I agree with the other posters who have said if it’s a mole, see a doctor. If it’s a skin tag (which is what it sounds like), just snip if off. That’s what my dermatologist does anyway. If it’s sticking up enough to snip off, and it’s skin colored, that’s most likely what it is. If you can’t tell the difference, then you should see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/17 "2002-12-09T17:29:38Z")
It sounds like a tag. I’ve got a few in my right shoulder area. They’re tiny and basically the color of the surrounding skin. No problems and no pain. All my moles are somewhat darker than the skin. If you get more skin tags, unless they’re in places where they are inconvenient or easily scraped, just let them be. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/18 "2002-12-10T06:11:18Z")
6.02x10[sup]23[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/19 "2002-12-10T06:25:05Z")
**Smeghead:** Only in cgs units. In mks or SI, you’re off by a long way. ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359/20 "2002-12-10T11:09:42Z")
i got a mole like thing on my arm the doctor got me an appointment with the skin clinic to freeze it off before the appointment became due it dried up and fell off. left a tiny clean mark leave well alone or take it to the medics is my advice. the other things which grow on your neck and back i think are caused by material abrasions and can be removed easily its the changing of colour and any bleeding which is a sign that something needs biopsy. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mole/141359.md?page=2)