To ask if you've ever had a mole changed that wasn't cancer

[Youandi]

Are all changes due to cancer

I've had five removed because they were changing. Never malignant.

May I ask a quick question? I've always been aware of the "if a new mole appears / if a mole changes" thing but have never been sure what extent of change that refers to, and am often unsure if moles have changed or are new growths or if I've just never noticed them before. But are moles that are potentially worrying ones that tend to grow / change in a way you can't miss?

Still better to get it checked. My friend showed me a tiny black mole she was having checked out & I couldn't believe it justified a referral - turns out her GP was right!

I've had two checked, at the hospital. Both were fine and the dermatologist took pictures with measurements so we would know if anything changed in the future.

That said, you MUST get any changes checked. Skin cancer is almost always fine and treatable if it's caught early.

My db had some in his teens that changed (size/colour) and then fell off themselves!

I had a mole on my back removed as it changed size and became itchy - wast cancerous.

I've had two change and ooze; TMI. No skin cancer here so far.

I'm waiting for an appointment about a new one which is a nasty colour. GP thinks all fine, though as it is tiny and very new.

Had 2 removed for biopsy, both fine

Get it checked NOW. I'm very moley. I've had a fair few removed - most have been ok so i got complacent but one showed precancerous cells. So keep checking and taking it seriously. Chances are it's fine but you have to get to your GP asap.

Dd has had a large mole since childhood, it changed shape and gone slightly darker. The hospital said it isn't harmful and didn't even recommend she has it removed.

Good luck with yours!

Chances are it's not cancer, but just because lots of moles aren't cancerous, it doesn't mean it won't be.

Get it checked out. It's it's something more serious like melanoma, the sooner you catch it the better.

Most skin cancers are very low-risk but still need investigation.

LilQueenie - Ooowwwwwwww!!!!!!!!

I've had a couple appear and disappear with no ill effects. Not all are cancerous....

But let me tell you - melanoma is not to be trifled with. Caught early, the cure rate is good. Left, the cure rate is dire. And melanoma is on the increase.

Can I beg, I really mean beg, that if you have the slightest, tiniest thought that a mole or a freckle or a patch of pigment is changing, you go to your GP? Immediately. Don't wait, don't think "oh, it's nothing" or "I'll be wasting their time." It can present as tiny moles, or changes to larger ones - go see your GP. When I lived in NZ it was common to go for a whole body check once a year.

A few years back I worked on a drug trial for melanoma. So many of the patients were women in their 30s and 40s, I found it extremely disturbing.

I'm fair and freckley. I'm totally anal about safer sun exposure (you need a bit, but don't ever redden or burn.)

I had one on my side that changed quite a lot when I was pregnant. It became bigger, more irregular and overall generally unpleasant looking. My GP wasn't concerned but offered to remove it did so very quickly and easily. All was good.

What Skiptonlass says. And if you are really worried about the mole, even if your GP tells you it is fine, insist on a referral to your local skin cancer unit. Doctors don't always know what they are looking for, and it often needs looking at under a dermatoscope (?). Mine looked like a freckle. Blown up on the screen, it still looked like a freckle to me. It didn't look anything like the melanoma photos you see. The consultant pointed out the patches of white in it - this is also indicative of melanoma, but something you rarely hear. My aunt's melanoma was completely white, and just looked like a bit of scar tissue. Her GP told her it was fine. She died a year later - by the time he agreed it wasn't fine, it had spread everywhere.

And yes, some moles can change without being cancerous, but always get them checked out.