The number and distribution of benign pigmented moles (melanocytic naevi) in a healthy British population.

Total body mole counts have been performed on 432 normal healthy Caucasian subjects aged 4 days to 96 years (204 males and 228 females). The mean total body mole count in the first decade of life is three for females and two for males, rising rapidly in the second decade to a mean of 23 for females and 18 for males. In the third decade numbers are highest, with a mean of 33 for females and 22 for males. Thereafter, numbers of moles slowly drop until in the eighth decade they have fallen to levels similar to those seen in pre-pubertal children. There is a significant association between the presence of naevi in early childhood (prior to 5 years of age) and the development in later life of large numbers of moles. In women there is no significant association between total mole counts and either parity or use of the oral contraceptive.