Medical Questions » Skin Questions » Question No. 878
| Question: | I am in my seventies, and generally well, but I have noticed a number of raised moles coming up on my back and shoulders. They can be surgically removed, but more keep coming. What are they and what causes them? |
| Answer: | The spots you ate desctibing are benign pigmented naevi or seborrhoeic moles. They are a common problem in older people, and it is an inherited characteristic. The most important thing you ever do in life is choose your parents!
There is nothing you can do to prevent more from coming, and the only treatment is cutting them out as they occur.
They are totally harmless, and nor a sign of disease elsewhere in the body, but sometimes more sinister growths (eg. melanoma) can be confused with them, so it is wise to have them checked every year or so by your doctor.
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