Moles on right arm can predict cancer

If you have more than 11 moles on your right arm you may be at a higher risk of skin cancer, claims a new study.

Counting moles on the right arm was found to be a good indicator of total moles on the body.

The study used data from 3,000 twins in the UK and found that more than 100 moles on the body indicated a five-fold risk.

Researchers from King’s College London studied a large group of female twins over eight years, collecting information on skin type, freckles and moles on their bodies.

The study was then repeated on a smaller group of 400 men and women with melanoma and it is then that they came up with a way to assess the risk of skin cancer.

If a female had more than seven moles on her right arm she was 9 times the risk of having more than 50 moles on her entire body. While those with more than 11 on their right arm were more likely to have more than 100 moles on their entire body, thereby meaning that they were at a higher risk of developing melanoma.

Written by: Dr. Ajay Sati.