Moles are something we pay little attention to unless they appear in large quantities or highly visible places, thus affecting your looks. In the majority of cases, this is perfectly fine because an average adult has about 40 moles on their body.

But the problem is that sometimes moles can be an indicator of skin cancer risk. They can also turn malignant, meaning the mole itself can become cancerous. Therefore, you should be paying attention to these common marks that might appear anywhere on the skin. You just need to understand when to get worried about them.

Types of Moles: Safe and Not So Much

There are three main types of moles you should be aware of:

1. Birthmarks
2. Common moles
3. Atypical moles

First of all, none of these moles, even atypical ones, are dangerous by default. However, there are some risks associated with all of them.

Birthmarks are the moles that people are literally born with. They are generally harmless, but if the mark is big, it has a higher risk of turning cancerous. According to studies, 0.5-0.7% of patients with large birthmarks developed melanoma. Therefore, such marks should be under observation and parents will often need to confer with a dermatologist and decide whether removing the mark is needed to reduce the risks in a child.

Common, or typical, moles are safe if there are under 40 of them on your body. They have an even shape and a single color. They can have different textures but the evenness of the shape and color are the factors that mark them as “typical” and therefore “safe”. They usually appear in the times of hormonal fluctuations and remain unchanged as time goes. If you have over 50 of them, consult a dermatologist as this indicates a higher risk of skin cancer.

Atypical moles aren’t dangerous if they are benign, but they need to be watched closely. According to Dr. Flor Mayoral, who works as a dermatologist in Coral Gables and has experience in dealing with atypical moles, main markers for concern are:

• Having more than four atypical moles
• Having a family history of melanoma
• Having had melanoma in the past

Atypical moles are irregular-shaped and usually have more than one color. And if such marks “run in the family” you might have Familial Atypical Multiple Mole Melanoma Syndrome. You’ll need to consult a dermatologist at once and go through regular checks if this is the case.

Can You Keep Your Moles Safe?

Researchers have yet to identify what causes moles to appear exactly. Therefore, it’s impossible to exert any measure of control over them. The few things that we know for sure are that fair-skinned people have more moles and that sun exposure is an important factor in the appearance of new moles in adulthood.

These marks upon your skin can also appear with age as well as during hormonal upheavals, like pregnancy. Note that once there, a mole will remain. If your moles start changing, it’s a definite warning sign that something might be wrong. Therefore, you should consult a dermatologist right away.

That’s why it’s important to make self-observations once a month and “document” all your moles. If some of them appear strange to you, seek professional advice or, at least, take pictures of them so you can get hard evidence of any change.

Moles are also known to appear in response to some drugs, especially ones that suppress the immune system. If you notice the increase in the number of moles after taking any medicine, even antibiotics, you should talk to both your doctor and a dermatologist.

Overall, moles are a warning sign that one should always keep an eye on. They might be completely harmless even if the moles themselves are atypical or numerous. However, it’s always best to be cautious.

During illness, the needs of patients can go beyond medications and treatment. Sometimes, all they need is comfort, warmth, and compassionate care. This is what makes palliative and hospice care both essential aspects when delivering health care.

Certain health conditions may affect the patient in many ways. They don’t only limit one’s physical capacities; they also affect an individual’s emotional strength. And when all hope is lost, it’s easy for a person to find comfort and relief in the caregiver who provides true empathy and an understanding presence.

This is the core of both palliative and hospice care. While both work under the same purpose, they have differences that may confuse most people. In fact, palliative care is provided during hospice care, yet hospice care serves a more specific set of patients. To help you understand their nature further, check out this useful infographic by Cables and Sensors about hospice and palliative care.

For most struggling American families, having a senior member of the family that needs care will probably consider an assisted living center. The assisted living center employs staff who are ready to provide the needs of the senior. However, for other people, they dedicate their time and energy taking care of their senior family members. For these people, they would rather renovate their homes to accommodate the seniors who would like to stay inside their homes with their family surrounding them. There are many ways on how to renovate the home to make it elderly-friendly. The following entries are some of the suggestions from the experts on how the house can be transformed to enable the elderly people to live comfortably inside without any issues.

No Step Entries and Thresholds

Most homes are elevated and it requires steps just to reach the door. For those who are taking care of their senior family members, it is suggested that they should remove the steps that can become troublesome, especially for senior family members who are trying to walk around. Homeowners could ask professional construction workers to remove the steps and then it can be transformed into an inclined plane where the wheelchair can be used with ease. When compared to an assisted living center, step entries are absent because it would be a problem for the seniors living there. This renovation would be a must in a home environment where a senior lives. This renovation would prevent them from sustaining any injuries leaving or arriving at home. 

Installing a Garage Lift and an Elevator

If the stairs inside a home could not be removed because it is an essential part of the house, a lift or an elevator can be installed to help the seniors who want to go up. A lift is a small platform that can go up and down, and it can be controlled to move slowly to assist the seniors who are trying to take a ride. For those who have an additional budget, an elevator can be installed inside the house to allow the seniors to move to a higher floor. In the United States, some assisted living facilities have second floors but have elevators to help their guests. For people who are in the state of Kansas looking for assisted living Overland Park seniors trust, a search could lead them to facilities who have installed a state of the art elevator for seniors who are living there, providing them with utmost care.

Reconstructing the Bathroom for the Elderly

The seniors are prone to accidents and injuries, and most of the cases involving a senior happen inside the bathroom. One of the reasons would be the slippery nature of the tiles that are installed inside the bathroom. A fall could happen in or outside the tub or shower. If there are seniors who still live with the family, the best solution would be installing grab bars inside the bathroom and putting in a carpet that would minimize the chances for them to slip. The bathroom should also have strong lighting that would give the seniors the ability to see where they are stepping. Inside the assisted living center, some seniors are being accompanied by their respective caregiver preventing them from slipping. Preventing seniors from falling would also give them a healthy body without any fractures.

Elderly people can receive the best care from assisted living centers because they hire the best staff who can perform the tasks required. However, if the seniors would prefer living with their family, and the members are more than happy to take care of them, then the seniors should go with them. However, since taking care of a senior family member requires a lot of responsibility, make sure that the home is being transformed to accommodate all of their needs. You might have to change a lot of things in your home to make it safe for a senior. Try to emulate what the assisted living centers can give. Make sure that the senior family member will be safe in their environment.