As a result, people with a lot of moles might be expected to live longer than those who have very few, despite facing a greater risk of skin cancer.



Dr Veronique Bataille, from the Twin Research Unit at King's College London, who led the study said: "The results are very exciting as they show, for the first time, that moley people who have a slightly increased risk of melanoma [skin cancer] may, on the other hand, have the benefit of a reduced rate of ageing.