Dodgy mole

[oyuoyu]

I'm just back from the GP. I've had a mole on my arm for years and I noticed last night that a scab had formed on the top of it. He examined me and wants to do a biopsy and has booked me in for what he calls minor surgery.

I'm a bit scared. I am 36 and in good health. I do have fair skin and he says that I am in a high risk group but it is unlikely at my age to be the skin cancer that you don't want.

I am too scared to google (for I know that way madness lies) but I am feeling a bit crap. The procedure is booked for the 30th and I'm not sure if I can wait that long...

Has anyone got any experience or knowledge about this?

From what I know (ie. not a lot!) he's wrong to say at your age it's unlikely to be anything nasty. More and more people in their 20's and 30's are being diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Obviously that's not to say that's what you've got because I haven't seen your mole and I'm not a doctor!

You've done the right thing by seeing your GP and he's doing the right thing by biopsying it just to rule out anything nasty.

If you can't wait until the 30th then I'm guessing your only other option is to see someone privately. I did that about a suspicious mole and the dermatologist took one look at it and said it was completely normal and there was no need for a biopsy.

Try not to worry though.

Thank you for posting. In fairness to him he didn't quite put it like that. He said something like that on balance it was less likely to be something nasty but I very much sensed that it could well be sinister.

He wasn't at all interested in the small scab that has formed on it. Apart from that it hasn't changed in years; DH says that he does not remember me without it so it is at least 10 years old, maybe far more. I used to call it my wart; it is pink and wart shaped. DS calls it a bubble.

Yikes.

It is worrying - I have had 2 removed. One the other month that had changed. Dr's do err on the side of caution with moles.

Have you had one removed before? It's not painful honest...

No, never. I'm not worried about the removal bit; I've had a c-section and a vaginal delivery so nothing quite compares to that!

Just a worrier by nature about things I cannot change....

Hi,

I have a few moles and from time to time I have got it into my head that they have changed.

On one of these occassions I went to see my GP and she sent me to a dermatologist who looked at it and said that he was 99% sure it was fine but he would remove it anyway to be sure. Anything removed is automatically biopsied. It was fine...just a normal mole but even the Dermatologist said that from across his desk it looked like a melanoma!

I suppose what I am trying to say is that a Doctor is not going to say a mole is fine if there is any tiny little doubt. A GP is not a dermatoligist so your GP is just being cautious.

When you see a dermatoligist take the opportunity to get them to check any other moles you are worried about.

DON'T look on the internet...it's full of nonsense and in any case, you have done the right thing and seen the Dr.

Try not to worry...you went to the Dr as soon as you noticed a change so even if it is something that needs treating, it will be fine as you will have caught it so early. Some people wait years before seeing GP and that's when people find that they have a problem.

You will be fine I am sure.

I had a mole on my back that I'd had since childhood, then in my twenties it started to grow and change shape. I'd spent part of my childhood abroad with no sun protection so was particularly concerned.

My GP removed it at the surgery and fortunately it was completely benign. The actual removal did not hurt in the slightest and I now have a teeny tiny scar that you would never notice unless you were an inch away and I told you where to look (if you were so inclined).

Hope it all works out as well for you.

Hi OP, like others have said, please try not to worry - the main thing is that it is now being taken care of.

I have recently had experience of this - a tiny mole on my calf had changed, it became pink in the middle so my GP said while it was probably fine, referred me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist removed it and the results came back a fortnight later - the mole was very atypical and and while not definitively a melanoma, it was decided to treat it as one to be on the safe side. This simply meant a wider excision of the area. This was all done under a local anasthetic about 3 weeks ago.

The second lot of tissue was all fine so end of story, no further treatment required. So I guess what I am trying to say is that a) the procedures really don't hurt at all and b) even if it is something that might be nasty, it often can be treated very easily. I thank my stars mine was removed in time as if left ignored, it may have gone on to cause me real trouble but like you, I had it cut out as soon as it changed. Good luck and do post back to let us know how you get on

Thank you for sharing your stories. Mine really hasn't changed at all, so I am starting to feel a little less worried. I shall try and put it out of my mind until I know the results. Thank you again.

My DH had a mole removed the week our first DC was born (he was 27) - it was quite large and black and had been there for a while - I suggested he had it checked out. In fact, it turned out it was melignant melanoma. He's still fine 11 years later, and keeps an eye on other moles, but so far, none found. But if i hadn't made him go - doesn't bear thinking about. So do go, and if it's nothing, great, and if it dangerous, then great to have it dealt with. Either way, it's fine. What is not fine is leaving it.

As others have said, youth is no guarantee of anything. But getting it checked out/removed is a positive step, and not to be scared of.