A mole is inflamed: what to do if it’s red, engorged and painful

What are the dangers of injuring moles?

The main problem and concern for any person is the trauma of birthmarks. As medical practice shows, this phenomenon can lead to death. In the event that a cancerous disease is started (without timely treatment of bleeding moles of a malignant nature), metastasis to the bone tissue may occur. Rubbing the nevus, scratching, squeezing and cutting can provoke the development of severe inflammation and bleeding.

Why does a nevus bleed?

Causes of damage:

a hanging nevus can be caught and touched during depilation; this is the most common reason why a mole bleeds;
you can accidentally injure and damage a man while shaving his face;
can be scratched with long nails;
comb, pick out a nevus located on the back or other place inaccessible to the eye;
You can rip off a nevus when the pimple underneath it opens up;
if a woman has torn off a mole until it bleeds while removing jewelry from her neck;
a child can tear a nevus while playing;
damage to education by domestic animals;
use of low-quality cosmetics;
pinching a birthmark on the abdomen with a tight belt or shapewear.

If a damaged nevus is detected, it is necessary to find out the cause. If there are no visible scratches, it is worth considering that the conversion process has been activated. The inflammatory process taking place in the upper layer of the epidermis can cause the nevus to come off on its own. This indicates that tissue death has occurred. If there is redness and an increase in the black spot, it begins to hurt, the mole is bleeding, a dermatologist will tell you what to do.

It is not recommended to pick, rip off or squeeze out a mole covered with a crust. The crust may fall off and bleeding will begin. This will cause infection to enter the cut. Infection activates the process of transformation into cancer.

Dangerous symptoms are burning in the area of the nevus, itching. The formation of a compaction near a mole and flaky skin indicate that a benign formation is developing into a malignant one. Timely contact with a qualified doctor helps to avoid health consequences.

At the clinic, a piece of the nevus will be taken from the person to perform a biopsy. The test results will show whether the patient is developing melanoma. This disease poses a health hazard, as metastases intensively penetrate into vital organs. In this case, the mole must be removed. Medical practice shows that 75 percent of deaths occurred due to developed melanoma, which was not recognized in a timely manner.

Recommendations from experts

If a person has pigmented spots on the body, it is important to follow the recommendations of skin care specialists. Namely:

spend less time in the sun;
do not visit the solarium;
control the level of hormones in the body;
You should wear comfortable shoes (appropriate to your size);
be careful when performing everyday tasks.

A bleeding mole should be sealed to prevent infection from entering the body. Doctors prohibit removing nevi on your own, since you can introduce an infection into the body and seriously harm your health.

For what reasons is blood released from moles?

There are several factors under the influence of which blood can be released from a nevus, namely:

trauma to the birthmark;
degeneration of moles into malignant neoplasms;
the development of a strong inflammatory process in the body.

Many people know why moles bleed, but not everyone knows that such a phenomenon can be a sign of the development of pathology in the human body.

First aid

Every person should know what to do if a mole bleeds.

At home, the following measures must be taken:

if the cat scratches the nevus, or the mole is injured in another way, it must be treated with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide will disinfect the wound and activate the blood clotting process. A cotton swab is moistened in it and applied to the damaged nevus;
Apply a tightly rolled bandage to the wound and hold it there until the blood flows. The bandage can be held with your hand or tightly fixed by bandaging the bleeding area.

Diagnostic process

Before prescribing treatment, the doctor must conduct a medical examination of the patient. During the process, the doctor examines the problematic pigment spot. Using special devices, he feels bleeding moles and analyzes the general condition of the formations. During dermatoscopy, the doctor will identify any pathological processes and changes. There is no need to be afraid of diagnosis, since all procedures do not cause pain to the patient. In the process of studying nevi, it is prohibited to perform a biopsy; only histology is allowed, which is performed only after surgical removal of the nevus.

How to stop bleeding?

The mole is bleeding, what should I do? Self-medication can be harmful and make the situation worse. Often, a specialist recommends treating bleeding wounds with hydrogen peroxide. Before you begin handling, it is important to thoroughly wash your hands with an antibacterial detergent - this will help prevent the development of an infectious disease. Disposable gloves should be used to prevent microorganisms from entering wounds. Using cotton wool or cotton pads, it is necessary to treat bleeding areas with peroxide.

If a red mole bleeds, use clean gauze or a bandage. It can be purchased at any pharmacy. It is necessary to fold the material in several layers and apply it to the bleeding moles. You should take a comfortable body position. Keep the material near the wound until the bleeding stops. After this, the wound should be dried. To do this, you can use brilliant green or iodine.

A slight discharge of blood from a mole is not life-threatening. If the bleeding is excessive and occurs systematically, it is important to immediately visit the hospital and undergo a thorough medical examination.

What to do

Under no circumstances should the crust on a mole be torn off . It should fall off on its own, naturally.

If it so happens that in an attempt to get rid of the crust, it comes off (perhaps along with the mole), it is necessary to take urgent measures:

sterile cotton swab or disk with a pharmaceutical solution of hydrogen peroxide and apply to the site of injury . Peroxide prevents inflammation and bleeding.
After making sure that blood is not oozing, remove the cotton wool, and in its place, stick a small piece of sterile bandage , folded several times, with a bandage.
Wrap the detached mole in a sterile napkin, which can be made from a bandage, or even better, place it in a clean bottle with saline solution (one teaspoon of salt in a liter of water), and rush to the clinic. There, see a doctor and submit the mole for histological analysis . Such an analysis will make sure that the neoplasm is benign. This will relieve you from unnecessary worries regarding possible oncological consequences.

If a mole has partially come off, only a dermatologist can give recommendations on its further fate - remove it or treat it without using methods of destruction.

It is best to get an appointment with an oncologist-dermatologist , but such specialists usually work in specialized clinics at oncology hospitals. But there are ordinary dermatologists in almost every ordinary clinic.

What not to do

If a crust appears on a mole, you should not:

scratch, rub and try to remove it;
apply to the surface and lubricate with ointments to get rid of the crust . The use of such “treatment” without the consent of a doctor may be not only useless, but also harmful;
stay in the open sun for a long time . However, exposure to direct sunlight is also dangerous for those who have no problems with moles. And even for those who don’t have them at all.

Ways to remove moles

Doctors prohibit removing moles on your own at home, as complications and severe pain may occur. If blood is released from moles, you should consult a doctor. First of all, the specialist will stop the bleeding. After this, he will diagnose nevi and remove them (if necessary). Among the safest and most popular methods of getting rid of pigmented spots are:

Surgical excision. The procedure is carried out under local anesthesia. Using a scalpel, the surgeon removes the mole. The surgical procedure lasts approximately 50 minutes. If the wound does not bleed after the mole is removed, the patient can go home. The doctor applies a cosmetic suture to a large wound, which looks neat, but later a scar may form. To avoid this, it is important to follow all doctor's recommendations. Absorbable agents should be used and the crusts that form to protect the wounds should not be touched.
Laser technology is the most modern and safe method of mole removal. During the procedure, the doctor gradually cuts off the mole. It only takes a few minutes to remove one mole. In rare cases, laser surgery leaves a scar.

It is prohibited to remove moles on your own, as this can provoke the appearance of malignant tumors. After removal, in many cases, a histological examination is necessary to understand the type of cells.

What not to do

If there is bleeding from a mole, you should not use folk recipes yourself, apply a variety of compresses, lotions and magic ointments of your own making. These drugs can affect the development of cancer cells in different ways and provoke serious complications.
Under no circumstances should you pick at a mole if blood has accumulated inside it, or try to tear it off. This can lead to malignancy of the nevus.
During healing after an injury, there is no need to check whether blood will flow if you tear off the scab. This may cause re-bleeding.
If you completely rip off a mole, you don’t need to throw it away. It is necessary to place the formation in saline solution and take it to a doctor for histological examination. This also applies to cases where a person has partially cut a mole.
You should not let the healing of a mole take its course. It is dangerous when a malignant mole remains on the body. Once damaged, cancer cells actively multiply, which subsequently leads to severe cancer and death.

There are a variety of reasons why a mole may bleed, but regardless of the reason, you should take the same steps.

If the mole is not completely torn off, it is forbidden to cut it off or separate it manually.
Wash your hands, wipe them with an alcohol wipe, cologne or vodka.
Treat the surface around the wound with any skin antiseptic. This could be the same alcohol wipe, an alcohol solution of iodine, green brilliantine, fucarcin, or any preparation intended for hand treatment.
Drop a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or miramistin (optional) into the wound.
Cover the wound with a stick-on bandage, an adhesive plaster with a bactericidal “pad”, and fix the part of the mole that has not completely separated in a comfortable position.

What is important to know?

If a mole on the face bleeds, it is forbidden to use a traditional treatment method (applying a compress or lotion), since such remedies can provoke the development of cancer cells and cause serious complications.

It is forbidden to touch a bleeding mole with your hands, as this can cause infection. It is forbidden to rip off the scabs - this can cause excessive bleeding.

If the mole has fallen off, you should place it in a sterile container and take it to the doctor for a histological examination. It is important to consult a doctor promptly if blood from a mole appears systematically.

The healing process of the nevus should be monitored by a doctor. If the formation is malignant, then cancer cells will begin to actively multiply throughout the body, which will provoke a worsening of the disease.

If severe pain occurs, you can take a painkiller.

When to go to the doctor

Consultation with a specialist is necessary in case of any damage to a mole .

A visit to the doctor is mandatory if, in addition to the formation of a crust on the mole, the following occurs:

the neoplasm began to increase in size and changed shape , acquiring irregularities on the surface and signs of asymmetry;
that grew on the mole began to fall out
nevus causes pain when touched ;
blood or ichor oozes from the mole ;
ulcerations appeared.

Photo 2. Any moles should be protected from mechanical injury and exposure to sunlight. Source: Flickr (bree)

A watery mole is a sign of degeneration into a malignant formation that requires immediate treatment. You should not self-medicate; you need to seek help from specialists.

Under what conditions should you go to the hospital immediately?

It is important to consult a surgeon or dermatologist if a mole bleeds. The cause of the blood will be determined by the doctor after examining the patient. You should definitely visit an oncologist in order to identify the form of the formation. If the mole was malignant, then pathogenic microorganisms will begin to multiply throughout the body. If blood flows without injury, a strong inflammatory process develops in the body. In such circumstances, it is important to consult a doctor. You should visit your doctor immediately if:

bleeding is systematic and profuse;
moles have changed color;
education is growing and its form is changing;
there is a feeling of burning and itching;
the mole is filled with blood;
nevus causes severe discomfort.

Under such conditions, self-medication at home is not only not recommended, but also dangerous.

What other possible signs of malignancy can be seen with the naked eye?

the nevus grows rapidly;
the mole hurts, itches, goes numb;
the mole changes shape: the borders blur, change outline, the surface becomes lumpy;
many new moles appear;
the mole darkens, turns blue or red;
hair on the nevus is actively growing;
the nevus gets wet;
the mole is bleeding.

If you notice one or more changes, especially bleeding, you should contact your oncologist as soon as possible.

Melanoma is treatable in the early stages.

Possible complications after removal

If you neglect the process of removing a mole, then melanoma, a scar, and a scar may appear at the site of the formation. Excessive bleeding is also possible. To avoid complications, it is important to follow the specialist’s recommendations and periodically treat the wound with an antibacterial agent prescribed by the specialist. It is important not to pick off the scabs and not visit the solarium until complete recovery.

Traditional methods of treatment can greatly harm and aggravate the problem. In order not to provoke the development of complications, the neoplasm should be diagnosed in a timely manner. People with a family history of cancer should regularly visit an oncologist, since many diseases (or rather, a tendency to them) are transmitted genetically.

Questions and answers

If a child or an adult has damaged a mole, then it is urgent to stop the bleeding yourself and, without delaying your visit, consult a doctor.

In case of severe bleeding, it is better to call an ambulance.

It is necessary to treat the skin with an antiseptic, put a sterile bandage on the wound, and immediately contact a dermatologist or oncologist.

You should definitely take the torn mole for diagnostics.

Histological analysis will help determine the nature of the formation (benign or malignant).

It is more difficult to stop bleeding from a red mole, but do not panic.

A red mole is a hemangioma, which consists of blood vessels.

It is a benign formation that does not degenerate into cancer.

Therefore, if a person scratches a red mole, it will take a little more time to stop the bleeding and careful care while the wound heals.

Hanging nevi are most often injured because they protrude on the body.

But even if a woman touches or scratches a flat mole, this can also lead to serious consequences.

It is still advisable to consult a doctor.

Even in the absence of any external manifestations, pathological processes of malignant degeneration can begin inside the mole.

Because only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Based on the information provided, we can conclude that you need to carefully and carefully treat your moles in order to prevent tragic consequences. If possible, avoid touching areas with nevi during hygiene procedures and dressing. Visit a doctor in a timely manner for examination and examination of formations.

But if the mole still “pulls up” and blood flows, it is necessary to urgently stop the bleeding and consult a doctor.