Mole on leg

[Rad]

Hello

I am anxious about a mole that I have on my leg. I have had it as long as I can remember - at a guess I'd say at least 10-15 years.

During this time I have not noticed any changes, but the mole is quite large and looks different to other moles I have on my body.

I saw my GP a few weeks ago and she said that she was 80% certain that it was nothing to be concerned about, but was going to refer me to a specialist just to remove any uncertainty. Her only concern was that she could see a variation in the colours. There is a slightly darker part in the centre which is slightly raised. She said it looked similar to a wart.

I had an appointment at my local hospital just over a week later. The doctor was very non-committal and said that she wanted the mole removed asap. When I questioned her she said that she'd rather do that than leave it.

I am due to have the mole removed tomorrow but I'm getting extremely anxious about the biopsy results.

Has anyone been through similar experiences? I keep telling myself that as the mole hasn't changed shape or size, it isn't itching or bleeding, that these are positive signs.

Unfortunately I've spent a lot of time googling melanoma and now fear the worst.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[KayeS]

Had a similar experience. Doctors REALLY play it safe with these kinds of things. If you've had it 10-15 years and haven't noticed any changes then I'm sure it's fine. The doctor is just being on the safe side as she hasn't seen it over the last 10-15 years like you have.

[Rad]

Thanks for replying. I hope everything turned out ok for yours.

I suppose the blame culture we live in these days the doctors have to be careful.

[Gary A]

If you've detected no changes over such a lengthy time then it's highly unlikely to be anything to be concerned about. Some doctors like to remove these types of moles simply because of any future potential of the mole to change into something more sinister. The procedure is relatively simple and non-invasive, so it's more a case of removal just to be sure.

[Emilym80]

My parents have had a bunch of moles removed and all have been fine. I think doctors are very cautious about moles as it's better to take the mole off if it looks a bit unusual.

Take care :)

[Rad]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I've had the mole removed, surgeon was 85% certain it was nothing to worry about.

Just waiting for the results now.

[Darren1]

Did you get the results

[Rad]

No I've not heard yet.