You're born with all the moles you're ever going to have, but sometimes maturation does not occur till later in life.

This skin condition is so common, in fact, that when something as seemingly uncommon as red moles appear on your skin, you're liable to become alarmed.

Just what are red moles?

Like any other mole, red moles are discolorations in the skin and may be either flat or raised. Red moles are usually tender to the touch and lumpish. They are more often than not benign, but they can pose serious health risks if, like regular moles, they become cancerous and are not treated.

More than likely, red moles are handed down from one generation to the next. Overexposure to UV rays is also cited as a likely influence in the maturation of a red mole.

How Will I Know If A Red Mole Is Dangerous?

Especially as you get older, it is a good idea to routinely examine your body. Getting out of the shower is usually when I check for changes in the moles, red or otherwise, on my skin. No one knows my body as well as I do, and while I am not exactly qualified to hand out medicine to myself, I am more than qualified to notice abnormalities.

Chances are you are the same way. Observation is really your greatest power in making sure that the red moles on your skin have not become something more. Therefore, it is important that you check for sudden changes to the size, shape, or color, of every mole on your body, and not just the red ones.

What Do I Do About Changing Red Moles?

We'll start with one word: biopsy. You may wish to start with a doctor-ordered biopsy to determine if the red mole is cancerous before going to the next step of complete mole removal or more intensive treatments.

As with all things medical, it is best for you to let the doctor decide, and to neither take matters into your own hands nor wait too long with the idea that what you don't know won't kill you. The unknown can do just that, and it would be foolish to play that card.

What Kind Of Treatment Is Best For Me?

You ? or rather your doctor ? can cut it, burn it, freeze it, zap it, or shock it, off. The more technical names for these procedures:

*Excision (the cut)
*Cauterization (the burn)
*Cryosurgery (the freeze)
*Laser surgery (the zap)
*Electro surgery (the shock)

Speaking as a man of low pain tolerance who has had two of these operations performed ? cauterization and cryosurgery ? I recommend either one. It pleasures me to say that you won't feel a thing.

But again, the best course of action? Consult your doctor!