Abnormal mole or something more serious?

[Ck189]

Hi!
Just wanted to start by saying I do have an appointment with my family doctor booked but the soonest I could get in was middle of next month.
Just starting to worry as I was recently reading up on skin cancers and realized this mole fits a lot of the warning signs or so I think. Mainly the shape and multiple colours.
Ive had this mole for as long as I can remember and I don’t think it has changed at all not that I’ve noticed at least. It’s on my leg and measures just 4mm.
Just looking for opinions on if it’s something I should be worried about or your past experiences with different looking moles?

• pics are same just different light and angle

Only a doctor will know and then sometimes only after a biopsy. I had a larger suspicious mole on my back, which was query malignant melanoma. I was really worried, they removed it and sent it to the lab. It came back as normal.

You are right to get it looked at.

If you've had the mole for as long as you can remember and it's not changed then it's very unlikely to be anything to worry about. It looks like a normal mole to me. I certainly have many moles that size or bigger that look like that and have never given them a moment's thought!

That’s great news yours came back normal!
did yours look similar to mine that you had removed ?
I don’t have a lot of moles and the ones I do have are lighter skin coloured so this one definitely stands out.

Yes, mine looked like yours only mine was bigger.

@Huntswomanonthemove Had yours recently changed or showed other symptoms? Or was it appearance alone that told your doctors it could be serious?

It was the appearance alone.

Moles to worry about tend to be very dark, uneven edges, fast growing. I'm not a doctor, this is from my and family experience. If yours hasn't been changing its unlikely to be a problem but of course get it checked.

@newyeardelurker thank you for the info! I honestly don’t think mine has changed. The darker spots might have gotten slightly darker through out the years but not enough to notice right away. Would you say mine from what you could see from the pictures would be removed from your experiences?

If it’s been there ‘as long as you can remember’ then that’s got to be 10 + years. Why would is suddenly be cancer? For sure check it out but I don’t think it warrants a thread

@Joyfultoes - sorry but why do you get to decide what 'warrants a thread'?

OP I think if it's been there for a long time and not changed it's probably ok but best to get it checked. Hope all ok

@Joyfultoes I was just looking for other’s experiences as I have none regarding this. Not looking for a diagnosis just opinions as I’ve recently noticed/learned it dose check off some things you look for when checking for suspicious moles.

@loobylou10 thank you for your kind words! I’m hoping your right!

Not a doctor, but I have loads of moles and get some of the bigger ones looked at occasionally and they look just look like yours and have always been totally fine. You're right to get it looked at if you have a concern, but just chipping in with my experience in case it stops you from having an agonising wait until your appointment.

@Ck189 you're welcome. I do wonder what is wrong with people sometimes.

@Pea79 Thank you! Really appreciate it! The waiting for appointments or results is definitely the worst!

I did have a biopsy on a mole that was cancerous. It had grown about 50% in 9 months. Always best to get these things checked.

@CheshireSplat I hope your doing ok now!

Oh I didn't realise there were self appointed thread police deciding whether someone's question was worthy of a post or not.

If you are worried, there's no reason at all not to get it checked out.

If it's in an easy to see place and you look at it regularly it's likely you would notice any sinister changes. But there's no harm in asking a professional to have a look to reassure you or get it checked further.

@b0wser Thank you!
I am trying to tell myself the same thing! It is good to know that change seems to be the main indication something is sinister.

I had a mole on my shoulder I wasn't sure if it has got darker or not, but something about it made me uneasy. It was removed and turned out to be stage 2 melanoma. My advice would be to get any mole your unsure about checked.

@Blueskythinking123 oh no! I hope your doing fine now!
Did you need any further treatment after it was removed ?

@b0wser no worries, you’ll know for next time!

I have over 100 moles (mmm attractive) which is a risk group for melanoma. I've had about 8 moles removed now, 2 of which were melanoma. Looking at them I couldn't have judged which were cancerous and which were not. I think both cancerous ones were itchy - the larger one definitely was which is why I went to the doc about it - but that is not one of the normal things looked for. The good news is that if it is a melanoma and is caught early all that needs to happen is a further excision of skin and a scar. It really isn't good news if the melanoma gets to develop so if you are in doubt at all go and see the doctor.

I have a couple similar, recently got all my moles checked. My GP noted a couple that were similar looking to this initially but once she checked them close up she said they were all fine. They've been noted down so next time I get them checked she'll know if any have changed in a worrying way. If you can I'd get them all the moles you have checked then you can rest easy and just keep an eye out for changes. Skin cancers I big issue where I live so it's not unusual to do a whole body mole check.