What is the difference between freckles, moles and melanoma?
Freckles cannot turn into cancer. But light-skinned people who easily burn are more predisposed to skin cancer than people with a darker skin. Indications are that the incidence of skin cancer could be reduced by about 78 percent if a child with a light, freckled skin, regularly uses a sunscreen during the first 18 years of his or her life. The most dangerous form of skin cancer is the malignant melanoma. This is a less common form of skin cancer that is easily cured when diagnosed early. But if it is not found soon enough, it can be very difficult to treat because it tends to spread quickly. It can be fatal. A melanoma can be distinguished from an ordinary mole. An ordinary mole is evenly coloured, and either brown, tan or black. It may be flat or raised. It is round or oval and its edges are sharply defined. It is usually less than 6 millimeters in diameter – about the diameter of a pencil eraser. Once a mole develops, it usually stays the same size, shape and colour for many years.
