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What Causes Cherry Angiomas On The Skin?
Question: I am a 34 year old male. Played golf through college. Mostly indoors now. I am fair skinned. Blonde hair. I am concerned about skin cancer risk. I have dozens of moles. None of the moles I have look like the pictures of melanoma I see online. But do have what looks like a bug bite on my upper left shoulder. It is an area that has never been exposed to the sun directly, but it is persistent. It doesn't bleed, It isn't scaly. It is slightly bigger than a pencil eraser. It looks somewhat like a peeled off scab that has scarred and is now smoothed. Would this be something that is a candidate for basal cell carcinoma? And how obvious are skin cancers? I don't have anything that looks to me like skin cancer, but I am aware that I am at higher risk.
Brief Answer:
Cherry angioma, nothing to be worried about.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for trusting HealthcareMagic
I have gone through your query and seen the attached picture.
The mole seen in the picture is a cherry angioma. It is benign(non-cancerous) skin condition usually seen in people above 30 years. The red color is due to the blood vessels in the angioma. Just keep an eye on whether the cherry angioma is changing color, bleeding or increasing in size. If you notice any such changes follow up with a dermatologist to undergo biopsy.
Skin cancers can be very subtle in presentation. So the safe option is to keep monitoring for any signs of skin cancer onset like
-Appearance of new moles
-Change in color, multi colored moles
-Irregular borders in mole
-Increasing mole size
-Bleeding from the mole
Always closely monitor your existing moles for any changes or appearance of new moles.Use a full-length mirror and examine the whole body. Don't forget to look at hidden areas like between fingers, groin. If so, follow up with a dermatologist.
Always use broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen while out in the sun preferably SPF 30 or higher.
Hope this answers your question
Please address further questions here
Regards
Dr.Lekshmi
Cherry angioma, nothing to be worried about.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for trusting HealthcareMagic
I have gone through your query and seen the attached picture.
The mole seen in the picture is a cherry angioma. It is benign(non-cancerous) skin condition usually seen in people above 30 years. The red color is due to the blood vessels in the angioma. Just keep an eye on whether the cherry angioma is changing color, bleeding or increasing in size. If you notice any such changes follow up with a dermatologist to undergo biopsy.
Skin cancers can be very subtle in presentation. So the safe option is to keep monitoring for any signs of skin cancer onset like
-Appearance of new moles
-Change in color, multi colored moles
-Irregular borders in mole
-Increasing mole size
-Bleeding from the mole
Always closely monitor your existing moles for any changes or appearance of new moles.Use a full-length mirror and examine the whole body. Don't forget to look at hidden areas like between fingers, groin. If so, follow up with a dermatologist.
Always use broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen while out in the sun preferably SPF 30 or higher.
Hope this answers your question
Please address further questions here
Regards
Dr.Lekshmi
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
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