Skin Growths: Bumps and Spots

Skin growths are common among older people. Most are noncancerous (benign). That is, they may enlarge, but they do not spread to other parts of the body. Common noncancerous growths include age spots, most moles, seborrheic warts (seborrheic keratoses), skin tags (acrochordons), and cherry angiomas (hemangiomas). What causes these growths is unclear.

Age spots are light brown, flat spots, similar to freckles. They develop after years and years of exposure to the sunlight. Thus, they appear most often on areas usually exposed to sunlight—the hands, forearms, and face. They are sometimes called liver spots, although they are unrelated to the liver. Dermatologists can recommend creams or ointments that may lighten the spots after several weeks of frequent, regular applications.

A mole is a colored (usually dark), painless spot that can be flat or raised. They can appear anywhere on the body. Once formed, moles remain for decades. Most moles are harmless, but some become cancerous.

A seborrheic wart is a small, rough, irregularly shaped, flesh-colored or dark bump. The surface is waxy or scaly. It can look pasted or stuck on to the skin. These warts usually appear during middle or old age, usually on the torso and temples.

Skin tags are soft, flesh-colored or dark bumps that may be connected to the skin by a stalk. Most often, they develop on the neck or in the armpit.

Cherry angiomas are overgrowths of blood vessels that form raised red or purple bumps or spots. They are typically no more than 1⁄8 inch (3 millimeters) across. They usually appear on the trunk.

Noncancerous skin growths can be removed if they are unattractive or they rub against clothing and become irritated. Usually, they can be removed in a doctor's office with a scalpel, scissors, liquid nitrogen, or a laser. Sometimes a local anesthetic is used.

Some skin growths in older people are cancerous (malignant). That is, they invade other tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Skin cancer usually develops in areas that have been most exposed to the sun. But skin cancer can develop anywhere on the body. Consequently, skin should be checked periodically for changes. Having someone else check areas that are hard to see, such as the back, is useful. Or, a mirror can be used.

Certain changes should be reported to a doctor. They include the following:

• New growths, particularly moles (small, dark growths that develop from melanocytes)
• Moles that have enlarged
• Moles that have developed irregular or jagged edges
• Moles that are several different colors (for example, different shades of tan, brown or black or patches of red, blue or white)

A doctor should thoroughly examine all of the skin once a year to check for new growths or changes in old growths. Sometimes a doctor removes a piece of a growth for examination under a microscope (biopsy).