Mole pictures - does this look worrying to you?

[WorriedMamma2]

Hello,

Firstly, I'm sorry to everyone on here. It's a shite place to be. I hope you don't mind me jumping on with you all...

I'm having a bit of a panic and thought you lovely ladies might have experience of this or similar and can offer some words of encouragement.

I found a new mole a few months ago and decided to be sensible and get it checked. I've attebded a refferal where the nurse took pictures of said mole to figure out if it looks problematic. Only thing is, I've logged onto my nhs app and saw the photos for myself... the pictures make me think it's not good news. I've been stewing on this for days and don't know what to think.

I'm assuming this is normal way to feel but does it look like I should be preparing for bad news?

I would expect them to refer you on the cancer pathway as a precaution, but I wouldn't necessarily expect the outcome to be bad news x

I’m assuming that’s an extreme close up? Most skin in close up looks fairly weird and flaky, so I’d try not to worry too much about the appearance in the photos.

I didn’t want to read and run but my direct experience of this is that often the moles that look dodgy are harmless. There are so many variations of moles and common benign skin conditions especially as you get older. Try not to stress, you’ve done the right thing getting it checked quickly and if it were me I’d be happier to be referred to an expert in case it was missed by someone less trained.
Is it in a location that gets a lot of sun?

Thank you everyone! It's reassuring that it doesn't look overtly concerning to anyone else.

@WolfFoxHare, yes, it is very close up, which is probably making it look worse.

@TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams, It's not somewhere that gets a tonne of sun exposure but in the summer months it would get more.

I would try not to over worry, easier said than done I admit. My father is a total sun worshipper with Celtic skin and is heavily paying for it now. Over the past 20 years he's had multiple excisions, chemical peel type things and other creams and lotions.Provided you are "on it" and have regular check ups* it seems to be feasible to head off most things pre cancerous. There also seems to be a tendency to remove anything suspect with space around it and then test it. So an excision in itself isn't always an indicator of cancer, just a higher risk.

*This might be more challenging within the NHS than within private healthcare. He has six month check ups but in a different country where the system is mostly private.