What is the ABCDE of Polka Dots?

Dermatologists are the ideal doctors to check moles through Dermatoscope. The ABCDE is a series of criteria that can help distinguish a normal mole from a cancerous lesion or melanoma. These criteria are: Asymmetry, Edges, Color, Diameter and Evolution, hence the ABCDE rule.

●ASYMMETRY in some of its axes.

●Irregular EDGES.

●Varied COLOR, not uniform.

●DIAMETER greater than 6 mm.

●EVOLUTION. If we detect that one of our moles changes.

In the office we perform a clinical examination based on this rule and we monitor the evolution of the moles.

The main technique that we specialists have for checking moles is Dermatoscopy, which consists of performing a surface microscopy on the pigmented lesion in order to observe its internal characteristics, such as the pigment network, its distribution along the lesion, the configuration of the edges or the existence of structures typical of melanomas.

Dermatologists can make a diagnosis of moles by observing the patient's skin during a dermatological examination, we inspect the skin from head to toe. If the doctor suspects that a mole may be cancerous, it will be removed and sent to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope (biopsy).

Moles can be brown, light brown, black, red, blue or pink, they can be smooth, wrinkled, flat or raised, and they may grow hair.

Sun protection is essential for our skin, we must remember that our skin has memory and that burns from going to beaches, swimming pools or rivers can cause serious skin problems that can last a lifetime.

In Panama we have sun practically all year round and Dermatologists, together with the Panamanian Association of Dermatology, annually carry out a Campaign on the daily use of sunscreen.

It is important to remember that if we are going to sunbathe, the recommended hours are before 9 in the morning and after 4 in the afternoon, apply sunscreen every 2 hours and use hats, glasses and clothing with sleeves to protect our skin. while we are exposed to the sun.