Worried about a mole... (yes it's me again...)

[KayeS]

So there's a small mole I've had on my side for a good few years, it came up about 5 years ago or so and I had it looked at and it was fine. It was a few millimetres and not irregular.

Lately I noticed that it has gotten slightly larger and the borders are now quite irregular... No darkness or blackness, no itching, bleeding, crusting or anything like that... But I went to my GP today who referred me to a dermatologist and said we don't take any chances on a mole that has changed appearance but he doesn't think it looks cancerous...

I am just really worried because of the fact that it has definitely changed...

I wanted to ask anyone that has had experience in this, can a mole change like this and not be cancerous? Is it normal for moles to change in this fashion? Again, there's no itching or bleeding, no black areas etc... :(

[Fishmanpa]

can a mole change like this and not be cancerous? Absolutely! Is it normal for moles to change in this fashion? Yes, it happens more often than your realize.

Positive thoughts

[KayeS]

Thank you, appreciate the response. I've been worried about moles in the past quite irrationally but I've never actually had a mole change like this so I'm really anxious about it... If it was cancerous, would there be more symptoms than just a change in shape?

I'm really trying not to google anything as I don't wanna see pictures that look like the one I have...

[saab]

Yes they can change and not be cancerous. Quite possible that they will remove it and do a biopsy anyway as you are already there.

[KayeS]

My question is though, can they change in that particular fashion? To having irregular borders and increase in size, and still just be benign? I'm working myself up again :(

[Lin71]

Yes. I've just been through this. Mine got bigger and darker and the edges got blurrier, although it was still quite symmetrical. I thought my doctor would send me away saying I was imagining it but he referred me and I got it removed. The results took 5 weeks and it came back benign. Not even atypical, just a normal mole. They just don't take any chances with changes.

It was a worrying time but once it was removed I managed to avoid Google and even stayed away from NMP until the results came through.
If you have any questions about what happens at the appointment or the removal process ask away, it's all quite fresh in my mind.

Lin x

[KayeS]

Thanks Lin. Its just hard not to worry... I've actually had a mole removed before so I kinda know what to expect, that doesn't worry me... it's the not knowing at the moment.

The fact that the GP noted that it was quite irregular and I'm 99% sure it wasn't like that before as it was one that I looked at quite often...

So increasing in size and the borders becoming irregular can actually still be a normal process then?

I'm literally looking at it every 5 minutes to see if 'oh actually it hasn't changed as much as I think'... but I'm pretty sure it has :(

[Lin71]

Yes, moles can evolve as part of their normal lifespan, but because it's not usually possible for the untrained eye to know what's a 'normal' change, a GP will refer if they are slightly suspicious.
My GP said he was pretty sure it was 'nothing nasty' and the derm said the same, but because it had changed they would remove it. I still find it hard to believe that it had changed so much and yet was nothing! I also had one on my back a few years ago, it went from being one colour to having a different coloured border. I got as far as lying on the derms couch ready to have it removed when he changed his mind and said he'd rather leave it as he was convinced it was a mole that was evolving from flat to raised. He was right, and it's still there.
I would never want anyone to be flippant about changing moles, you do have to take them seriously, but it can also be normal.
You say you've been checking this mole often, so you've picked up the change pretty much as soon as it's happened and done the right thing going to your GP. There's no more you could do so try not to worry.
Hopefully you won't have to wait too long, I got my appointment really quickly it was just the results that took ages :/

[KayeS]

Thank you Lin, I feel a little bit more reassured but I just hate that this has happened. I've just got over one thing, and now this!

I'm gonna try really hard not to worry.... I'm pretty sure the chance is quite recent as well which is reassuring me a bit as well... so even if it IS something bad, I must have caught it pretty damn early! But hopefully it's nothing anyway...

ARGH... I just know that this will be in the back of my mind until it's resolved now :( :(

---------- Post added at 22:15 ---------- Previous post was at 19:25 ----------

I am so damn worried... I think I'm going to see a dermatologist privately tomorrow if I can... I need to know. I am going crazy. I cannot BELIEVE this is happening again.

[KayeS]

So I just went to a dermatologist, was lucky enough to get an appointment this morning.

He had a good look and told me he is 99% certain it's fine, but I absolutely did the right thing in getting it checked out as it changed appearance.

I was paying myself as I don't have private medical insurance, and he said that if I was insured, he would suggest getting it removed just for my own piece of mind as he can never say 100% just by looking although he is 99% sure. But he said as it will cost me nearly £1000 he thinks it's perfectly safe to just wait for my NHS appointment in a few weeks and get it removed for free that way. But he said that is pretty much just for piece of mind.

Anyway that's all... if anyone's interested in my non-stop obsessive health anxiety lol.

[Lin71]

That's good news....hope your mind is now at rest :)

[KayeS]

Thanks Lin, I feel a lot better for sure. I'm able to just put it to the back of my mind and I actually fully accept what I've been told by the dermatologist.

Because of what I've been through over the last few months with my brain MRI stuff, I'm obviously still not mentally recovered yet... this just set me off again :/

[Worryingsobad]

Hey how did you go with this?
I have exactly the same thing happening here.
A normal mole turned red, throbbing and got pus in it overnight!
REALLY worried.

[KayeS]

You might very well just have some acne developing on the area of the mole, that's happened to be before and really freaked me out, but you should go and get it checked out just for peace of mind.