Moles in children - no cause for concern
Children are not small adults. One topic where this beautiful phrase once again applies is the mole, medically known as a nevus. Dealing with brown moles and the need to have them looked at by a dermatologist is very different for children than for adults.
In adults, it is definitely advisable to have moles checked regularly - especially if they change in size, shape or colour. This is because tumours can develop on moles, which should be detected early by the examination.
However, this is not the case with children. Fortunately, it is very rare for newborns and babies to have large congenital moles that need to be dealt with immediately. But, as I said, this is a rarity.
Otherwise, between infancy and the end of puberty (15/16 years), nothing normally happens to children with moles. They have some, and some may appear - but you don't actually need to have them checked because there is no real risk of degeneration. An absolute exception would be if the moles were to increase massively in size, bleed or itch. However, I have never experienced this here in 15 years of practice. And a dermatologist I have asked has never seen a malignant change in a mole on a kindergarten or school child in his 20 years of practice.
So here's the message: If you discover new classic moles on your child, there's no need to worry. You do not need to show them to the paediatrician immediately. If at all, it is sufficient to have it looked at during a check-up or another appointment. But as long as your child is still before the age of puberty, you fortunately don't need to worry about this issue.
Further interesting tips
Gynaecomastia
Today's topic concerns boys aged twelve to 15, or their parents. Everyone else can of course continue reading :-). The topic is called "gynaecomastia" and often leads to boys being somewhat desperate in the surgery and parents being really worried.
Whooping cough
Whooping cough is a disease that has unfortunately not completely disappeared and is unlikely to disappear completely. One problem is that the vaccination only offers around 80 per cent protection. Even with good immunisation coverage, it must therefore be assumed that cases of whooping cough will occur again and again. So here are the important facts about this disease.
U-examinations
They are fixed points for all parents: the famous U-examinations, which, at least in the early years, are documented in the equally famous yellow booklet.