The Top 10 Benign Skin Lesions Seen During Skin Checks
Keywords: mole removal in Melbourne, sun spot removal in Melbourne
Skin checks can be nerve-racking. You’re lying on a table while a trained eye inspects every inch of your skin, searching for anything suspicious. But more often than not, what they find are harmless, benign growths that pose no health threat at all.
To help ease anxiety around skin checks, here’s a guide to the 10 most common benign skin lesions seen in Melbourne skin cancer clinics. Understanding what’s normal can help you know when to relax—and when to get checked.
1. Seborrhoeic Keratosis
These are often mistaken for moles or even skin cancers. They appear as waxy, stuck-on, brown or black spots, typically in older adults. They can be itchy or irritated but are completely harmless. More on seborrheic keratosis.
💡 Commonly removed for cosmetic reasons via cryotherapy or shave removal.
2. Solar Keratosis (Actinic Keratosis)
Common in sun-exposed areas, especially on the face, ears, and hands, these flat, scaly patches feel like sandpaper. While technically pre-cancerous, they’re easily treated and often removed with liquid nitrogen.
🔎 Popular sun spot removal treatments in Melbourne focus on these lesions.
3. Dermatofibroma
Firm, raised, and often pigmented, these little nodules are usually found on the legs. They feel like a “pea under the skin” and are often the result of minor skin trauma like insect bites.
👩⚕️ No treatment is necessary unless they’re itchy or bothersome.
4. Cherry Angioma
Bright red, dome-shaped spots that look like tiny blood blisters. They’re made up of small blood vessels and tend to multiply with age.
❤️ Not dangerous—just another gift from ageing!
5. Skin Tags (Acrochordons)
These small, soft, flesh-coloured growths hang off the skin and are usually found around the neck, armpits, or groin. They’re completely harmless.
✂️ Easily removed in clinics offering mole removal in Melbourne.
6. Benign Melanocytic Naevi (Moles)
Most people have moles. These are collections of pigment-producing cells. They may be flat or raised and range in colour from tan to dark brown.
📷 Regular skin checks monitor for changes—especially in those with many moles.
7. Sebaceous Hyperplasia
Yellowish bumps that typically occur on the forehead and cheeks. They result from enlarged oil glands and can mimic basal cell carcinoma, so they’re worth checking.
⚠️ Often removed when confused with skin cancers.
8. Epidermoid Cysts
Also called sebaceous cysts, these are slow-growing lumps under the skin filled with keratin. They can become inflamed but are not cancerous.
🧴 May require drainage or minor surgery if infected.
9. Blue Naevus
These are deep blue or black spots, often small and round. While they can look scary, they’re benign. The blue colour is due to how the pigment sits deep in the skin.
🔵 New or changing blue lesions should still be assessed promptly.
10. Lipomas
Soft, rubbery lumps under the skin made of fat cells. They grow slowly and are usually found on the back, shoulders, or arms.
🛑 Totally benign—but can be removed if uncomfortable or growing rapidly.
Final Thoughts
Not every spot needs to be removed, but any new, changing, or unusual lesion should be checked. Clinics offering mole removal in Melbourne and sun spot removal in Melbourne are well-equipped to assess and treat benign lesions, helping you stay confident and safe in your skin.
When in doubt, book a professional skin check. Knowing what’s normal is the first step in catching what’s not.