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Birthmark on the lip
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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You can spend a lot of effort looking for a person whose skin would be absolutely without moles. And never find it. Why? There are many versions of how birthmarks appear and what they are needed for. Astrologers and psychics believe that every birthmark is a sign. From where the mole is localized, what is its shape and size, the life path and character of the owner depends. It is believed that people with a mole on the upper lip are demanding and strict. The mole on the lower lip indicates refinement. Mole on the lip of the lips speaks of the suspicion of its owner, undeveloped will and responsibility.
Medicine is skeptical of these views and believes that the emergence of moles is a special signal of the body, which sometimes indicates a hidden threat to health. In particular, this refers to moles in open areas of the skin, which are often exposed to mechanical influences and ultraviolet action, such as a birthmark on the lip.
Why do birthmarks appear?
Birthmark occurs as a result of the development and growth of a certain number of specific epidermal cells - melanocytes. Physicians on the issue of the causes of the birthmark on the lips puts forward several versions:
- Genetic causes - predisposition to the birth of moles, transmitted to descendants from parents.
- The impact of ultraviolet radiation is a prolonged exposure to the sun or tanning in a solarium.
- Change in the balance of hormones - due to hormonal medication, because of pregnancy and childbirth, under the influence of stressful situations or disease.
- The impact of harmful factors: radiation exposure, traumatic events, virus attacks.
What are birthmarks on the lips?
The nevuses are subdivided into vascular ones, which appear due to the rapid growth of capillaries, and pigmentary ones that occur when the melanin is overproduced.
Moles differ in shape, diameter and color. According to these signs, moles are classified as follows:
- Flat - small specks on the surface of the epidermis. Such birthmarks are almost invisible and do not cause any inconvenience.
- Convex - appear in the deep layers of the epidermis and possess hair follicles.
- Vascular - painted in blue or violet, with a dense structure.
- Hemangioma is a formation resembling a nodule or a wart. Such a mole is a blood bundle. Therefore, the red mole on the lip requires special attention: in rare cases, it can be transformed into a cancerous tumor, but it can threaten bleeding in case of accidental trauma.
- Pigmentary - are usually congenital. They can be very large and are the most dangerous because of the risk of degeneration of cells into a cancerous tumor.
Hidden Danger
Most often the mole on the lip does not cause any inconvenience. Usually the desire to get rid of it arises only because of aesthetic representations. But it is worth remembering a threat that may lurk behind even the smallest neoplasm that can degenerate into a cancer tumor. There is a list of factors that play an important role in the pathogenesis of skin cancer.
First, do not forget that the skin on the face - the most unprotected, it is prone to frequent exposure to ultraviolet light. Because of the sun, the mole on the lip can change the size and shape, which is one of the first signs of the development of a cancerous growth.
For this reason, it is necessary not to lose sight of the visual changes and try to protect from exposure to the sun.
Also, if the birthmark rises above the surface of the skin, it is more often traumatized, which is absolutely impossible to tolerate.
If you have any of these symptoms, you need not hesitate to contact a specialist:
- Injury of a birthmark.
- The appearance of blood or a syphilis.
- Itching, pain on this particular area of the skin.
- Inflammatory process in the mole.
- Quick change in size.
- Color change.
Birthmark or skin cancer?
In order that each person could determine the potential danger of a birthmark, a specialized methodology, called ABCDE, was developed. It is used for differential diagnosis to distinguish a typical nevus from melanoma.
- A (asymmetry) - asymmetry. When the nevus grows in length or in width. The usual nevus should keep symmetry.
- B (border irregularity) - torn edges. When the edge is uneven, has lost clarity - this is one of the symptoms of skin cancer. In typical nevi, the edge is always clear.
- C (color) - color. Inhomogeneous coloration, the presence of dark, reddish, bluish inclusions are not characteristic of ordinary birthmarks. A regular mole has a uniform color.
- D (diameter) is the diameter. The diameter of the birthmark does not normally exceed 6 mm.
- E (evolving) - variability. It is about changing any property: color, shape, diameter. Such changes are a good reason to visit a dermatologist. Usually birthmarks do not change during life.
What turns a birthmark into a mortal threat? Periodically to do an independent inspection of the nevi is necessary for everyone: this is the best prevention of skin cancer. However, there is a category of owners of moles, which should treat them with double attention. It's about people whose blood relatives have suffered any form of cancer, and those who have already suffered the removal of atypical nevi.
When anxiety signs are detected, the doctor will perform dermatoscopy as a standard method of instrumental diagnostics and lead a personal card of birthmarks when using a specialized device photos are taken, and then a certain program forms a scheme of their localization on the skin.
At the subsequent visit to the doctor it will be possible to make a comparison of the previous map with the current one: have any other marks appeared that show any changes in the previous maps. Dermatologists believe that such cards are an indispensable tool for diagnosing melanoma at an early stage. Melanoma in the initial stage of its development is removed with the help of a simple operation, with virtually no consequences, and the prognosis of treatment in such cases is favorable.
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Removing the mole on the lip
If the patient decides to remove the birthmark on the lip, you can not attempt to get rid of it by alternative methods of treatment, herbal treatment, or by the cosmetologist in the salon. In these cases, there is a possibility not only to remain with the unaesthetic cicatrix on the face, but also to provoke complications. It is better to consult a doctor for qualified help. In modern medicine, you can use one of the following methods:
- Operative treatment.
- Laser removal.
- The radio wave method.
- Electrocoagulation.
- Removal with liquid nitrogen.
Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Usually, only after the results of certain tests and diagnostics the doctor recommends the destruction of the birthmark optimal for its owner in the way. A great role is played by the aesthetic factor: the probability of scar formation depends on the method of removal.
Destruction of the birthmark is contraindicated in pregnancy, acute respiratory infections, exacerbation of hypertension, allergy to anesthetic.
This operation is best transferred to the season, when the skin will be less susceptible to the action of ultraviolet rays: winter or autumn. In addition, doctors do not recommend the removal of a birthmark on the lips of a child, except when the birthmark delivers discomfort. Attention to your health will help control changes in birthmarks and avoid the risk of development of dangerous processes in them.