>Q I am a 56-year-old woman and I have noticed that many red moles have appeared on my body over the past five years. They are predominantly on my arms and abdomen. My mother had many red moles too and they also appeared at about this stage in her life, though they never seemed to be a problem.
New ones sprout every now and then and they tend to be slightly raised and of varying sizes. Are they a cause for alarm? Why and how do they form in the first place? They aren't at all like the other moles I have.
A These red spots are likely to be Campbell de Morgan spots, or cherry angiomas. These are not moles; they are actually proliferations of tiny blood vessels. It is not known why these spots form but they usually arise in people
from middle age and above and are harmless.
If they are of cosmetic concern to you, they can be removed by cautery (using an electric pencil) or an ablative laser by a qualified medical practitioner. However, such procedures may produce side effects such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (a dark colour which may take months or years to fade) and, rarely, scarring.
Dr Derrick Aw, a consultant dermatologist at National University Hospital.
This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on November 20, 2008.
