A new research has suggested that people who have over 11 moles on their right arm could have a higher risk of skin cancer. As per experts, the mole count on that particular body part was the best indicator of how many moles an individual had altogether.

The study said the ones having over seven moles on their right arm had nine times the risk of having over 50 moles on the whole body whereas those with more than 11 on their right arm had more chances of having more than 100 moles on their body. The presence of over 100 moles is said to be a ‘strong predictor’ of a higher risk of melanoma.

Researchers from King's College London conducted the story and concluded that moles count in a ‘proxy’ body area like the arm was a good marker for discovering potential problems.

People with more than 11 moles on their right arms were likely to have more than 100 overall—a number that the researchers deemed indicative of “significant risk” for melanoma. Though only half of melanomas develop from existing moles, these cases are often hard for unsuspecting patients to catch by themselves.

Naevus (mole) count is one of the most important markers of risk for skin cancer despite only 20 to 40 per cent of melanoma arising from pre-existing moles. Previous studies on a smaller scale have attempted to identify mole count on certain body sites as a proxy to accurately estimate the number on the body as a whole and found that the arm was the most predictive.

Lead author, Simone Ribero of the Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology said: ‘This study follows on from previous work to identify the best proxy site for measuring the number of moles on the body as a whole. The difference here is that it has been done on a much larger scale in a healthy Caucasian population without any selection bias and subsequently replicated in a case control study from a similar healthy UK population, making the results more useful and relevant for GPs."

During the study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, data from 3,594 female twins was examined. A mole count was performed by specially trained nurses from St Thomas' Hospital in London on 17 areas of every participant’s body. They also noted down the skin type, hair and eye color and freckles were also recorded for the research.

Scientists also found that the area above the right elbow was particularly predictive of the total body count of moles. The legs were also strongly associated with the total count as well as the back area in males. The research team found that the count of moles on the right arm was most predictive of the total number on the whole body. Females with more than seven moles on their right arm had nine times the risk of having more than 50 on the whole body and those with more than 11 on their right arm were more likely to have over 100 on their body in total.

Researchers checked the finding against add on study that involved men and women. The experts discovered that the area above the right elbow was mainly predictive of the total mole count on a body. They found that the legs were also strongly associated with the total count. The backs of Men also highlighted an increased risk.