Connecting the Dots

It has come to my attention that I have enough moles to make it interesting enough for a 3-year old to play a game of connect the dots on my face. My facial moles have never bothered me before until lately, when I started noticing that they seem to be getting bigger as I age. I didn't even think it was possible, I thought moles stayed the same all throughout your life.

Do moles really grow bigger? The boyfriend's theory is that they do. He says- "You don't see young people with wart-like moles, do you?" Fair point.

My mom suggests to have it surgically removed now, while they're still small, so there's less chances of scarring. The prospect of being remembered as the girl with the mole isn't too appealing to me but the prospect of going under the knife is even less appealing.

"Here lies Mel, she had a mole."

More than just for vanity, I also wanted to know if moles pose health risks in the future. It's an abnormality after all. Like any self-proclaimed Internet junkie would, I did a little Googling to get more information about them. Here's what I found- 

• Moles are overgrowths of the skin's pigment cells (melanocytes). 
• Most moles are not dangerous but if you notice changes in a mole's color, height, size, or shape, you should have a dermatologist evaluate it.
• It is normal to have between 10-40 moles by adulthood.
• Individuals with large numbers of moles (more than 100) are at greater risk of developing melanoma.

Looks like I'll steer clear of the knife for now. Besides aesthetics, it should seem that my moles are mostly harmless. It's just the caricatures that I'm worried about.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, and 4.