More than eleven birthmarks on one hand may indicate a higher risk of developing melanoma, an extremely dangerous skin cancer.
The magazine cites the observations of 3 thousand. twins, which were run for eight years in Great Britain.
The lead author of the study, Simone Ribero of King’s College London, believes that the greater number of birthmarks on the arm, particularly on the right, indicates that there are also more of them all over the body. And the greater the number of birthmarks, the greater the risk of melanoma.
Research conducted among women shows that those women who have more than seven birthmarks on their hands have more than 50 birthmarks all over their body. In turn, more than eleven birthmarks on one hand indicate that there are over a hundred on the entire body.
According to Simone Ribero, it will be easier for primary care physicians to detect people who are more susceptible to melanoma by paying attention to how many moles are on their hands.
Dr Claire Knight of Cancer Research UK warns, however, that no more than half of melanomas arise from birthmarks. Some of them form in different places of the body, for example in the eye. In men, melanoma usually occurs on the body, and in women, on the legs. The best protection against this cancer is ensured by regular inspection of the entire skin, at least once a year. It should be observed that the moles are regular in shape, do not become discolored and do not enlarge.