Melanoma fear: intense HA

[khaleesifreakouts]

Hi I'm new here but it seems like a very understanding forum for those who get anxious every now and again. I have suffered from Heath anxiety for over 4 years but I appeared to have got it under wraps...until now. This time I think I am being logical as a mole/raised freckle that I have had since childhood appears to have gotten slightly larger. It's a mid brown colour that stands out against my pale skin, symmetrical, round but raised and bumpy. However, my mother who is familiar with the offending mole laughed it off when I told her, saying that it has always been the same. My partner on the other hand believes I should always get things checked out, no matter how trivial it may seem. I'm terrified that it is something really bad but also scared being laughed out of the doctors surgery after complaining about something so small. Anyone have any similar experiences? Kind of bordering on a panic attack right now :weep:

[Kirbear4]

Oh I have just been in the same boat re a mole! Mine had changed colour, shape, bumpy and had a black scab in the middle. I went to the Dr yesterday and he said it's absolutely fine. The look on his face was like 'is that it'? When I showed him! :D the scab came off and he said it was likely caused by a blocked hair follicle. He said moles can change without it being anything to worry about but it's always best to get them looked at x

[snowflake293]

I am in the same boat too. One of my biggest HA fears is melanoma/skin cancer and moles. I am pale and have a lot of atypical (irregular) moles. I have one on my leg that I picked when I was 15 and it grew bag 4 times the size! it has irregular edges but its all the same colour and flat. It has a pale 'halo' round it. I showed it to the doctor and he wasn't concerned. I also have a very small, dark brown banana shaped mole on my bum that I had a massive melt down over once, again - showed the doctor and she wasn't concerned in the slightest :) I have an irregular mole on my arm that is raised and sometimes it is itchy which does worry me as much as it used to.

I have found my mole fear got much better since realising that everyone has moles, and a lot of people have funny looking moles, especially if you have pale skin. My fiancé is even paler than me and he must have literally thousands of moles. Some are REALLY dodgy looking but he has had them all checked and they are fine :)

I hope this helps reassure you. I understand how real the fear is though and even though my HA is getting better I still think about my moles a lot.

[khaleesifreakouts]

So nice to hear from people who understand HA! My two obsessions are skin and mouth (although I have bad dust allergies that make me get a little paranoid sometimes) my mole actually doesn't look too bad in comparison to some others I've seen that people still go on sun beds with. I am however going to get it checked out as it's been a while since it was looked at by an expert and I'm convinced it has changed..just wish id added a tape measure to my comparison photos