They are more common in men than women. They look like sores, sometimes oozing fluid or even blood and often with crusts on them. They may feel tender. They can grow quite fast - especially those on the lip and ear. Melanocytes are the melanin -producing cells and they are scattered along the bottom of the epidermis.
Every basal cell is attached to a melanocyte.
There is one melanocyte per 10 to 20 basal cells. Melanin produced in the melanocytes is delivered to the basal skin cells. Paler-skinned people do not have fewer melanocytes than black people, but simply produce less melanin and a different kind of melanin per melanocyte. Ultraviolet radiation stimulates the enzyme that makes melanin. Melanomas are the deadliest skin cancers of all.