Moles can affect people of any age, race and sex. Moles, medically known as nevi, occur when skin cells such as melanocytes grow in large groups and distribute throughout the skin. Melanocytes are skin cells that produce the natural pigment of your skin color. Moles can occur on any part of the body, and in some rare cases can be cancerous. Causes of mole development include heredity and excessive sun exposure. Unfortunately, preventing the development of moles is impossible. However, if you follow a few simple tips you can drastically reduce the probability of developing moles on the face from sun exposure.
Apply sun screen to the face and body 30 minutes before exposing the skin to sunlight. A sun screen containing SPF (sun protection factor) 15 or higher is recommended. Sun screen will evenly distribute the sun’s harmful rays throughout the skin, thus avoiding sun-related skin damage and conditions such as moles and sunburn.
Wear wide-brimmed hats on sunny days to avoid excessive sun exposure to the face. Choosing a wide-brimmed hat as opposed to a baseball cap on a hot, summer day will dramatically reduce the possibility of the face being directly exposed to the sun’s rays.
Put on a pair of shades. Wearing sunglasses not only deflects the sun’s rays away from the eyes but also can provide minimal protection of mole development under the eyes and areas of the nose that are covered by the brim of the sunglasses.