Mole/freckle with white spot on it. Please reassure me. No sinsiter comments please

Yes, Dr Google is an evil bugger.

I would not pop it if I were you. It might make it look angry and then you will worry even more.

It's such a shame you feel so worried. Such a waste. The likelihood of this being anything serious is miniscule. Yes, check it out by all means, but try not to "borrow trouble" as the old saying goes. Right now, everything is okay.

When I was having a serious melanoma panic (a GP actually said she thought it likely to be melanoma and referred me to dermatology...she was wrong, thankfully!) I collected up some reassuring words of wisdom which hopefully might help...

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Look at the percentages and not the numbers.

-1 in 40 Caucasians get melanoma in their lifetime (looks scary right?)

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY:
-that is only 2.4%....If someone were to tell you that there was a 2.4% chance it will rain tomorrow, would you think it will rain?
-there is a 97.6% chance you will NEVER get melanoma in your LIFETIME
It is all a matter of perspective.

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Although it is right to treat the threat of melanoma with respect, it is good to remember that it is relatively rare. Statistically, in the UK your GP will see one every three or four years; or if you are part of a group of 20 people then you will have to wait 300 years for someone in that group to get one. And then bear in mind that 3 out of 4 are removed without any further complication at all, so the statistics are definitely on your side.

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I had a talk with my dermatologist about my melanoma concern.

He told me 90 percent of the population knows nothing about melanoma.They do not come to him unless something is god awful and black looking, bleeding or looks crazy.

He said even though these people still wait until that point most of the melanomas he sees are still stage 0 or stage 1.

He said the odds of someone with my level of attention and obsessiveness ever letting a mole or spot get to the point where it is terminal is pretty much zero. That is the same for all of us on this board... as soon as a mole looks fuzzy.. grows a hair... we will be in a dermatologists office. The majority of people would not... and it may take them months or years to actually grow concerned about a growing mole... if they ever even notice.

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Hope some of those help. x

Hi , just wanted to say try not to worry until you have seen your gp. Easier said than done I know .
They might refer you to dermatologist.
I’ve been there this year unfortunately mine did turn out to be melanoma but mine didn’t look like that xx

I have had exactly the same - in my experience in growing hair that resolves itself

I have a couple like that and had mine checked fairly recently - they’re absolutely fine. Moles can change with age and even hormone changes. But you are right to get any changes checked. I always feel embarrassed at the GP for wasting their time but they are always very kind and say you should always get changes checked. Even if it was something to worry about, if you catch them early they are very easy to treat. Everyone over 50 in my family has had at least 1 melanoma and always been treated very quickly and easily.

You have a good plan. Some people ignore symptoms of anything for years, you are doing something straight away.

Please tell your support people you are struggling. Get them to help distract you in some way. If you were my friend I'd take you out to something you like to take your mind off it.

You have contacted the Dr as soon as you noticed any change. That is the right thing to do. You can't diagnose anything from Google, I had shingles once and I googled the symptoms and thought I was having a bloody stroke til I saw a massive rash down my back in the mirror thanks to Dr Google

The positives are it doesn't seem to have got bigger. You don't seem to be saying you are generally unwell or any other symptoms.

Please tell your Dr about your anxiety too. That sounds very difficult. Please try and talk to someone in real life who can reassure you.

I really doubt that us anything to worry about. I have health anxiety too and have looked at more melanoma pictures than I care to mention! Maybe it's a blocked hair follicle? I know it's hard but try to put the worry out of your mind for now and get seen next week to put your mind at rest.