View Full Version : Scared to death of black mole/spot HELP
Hi everyone I’m new here and here is what is going on: I’ve had a very tiny, pencil point sized black dot/spot/flat mole on my nose for 2.5 years, since I was early pregnant with my son. I never gave it much thought, and in that time it has not changed at all in size, shape, color, etc. honestly I thought it was a large blackhead under the skin. Anyway, last week I came across a skin cancer article and it said any new spots on your body are suspicious (I’m 29, spot appeared at age 27). I went to GP, who said it was pigmented and have a derm look at it since he didn’t know much about skin. I have an appt this week and I’m absolutely panicking. I consulted a derm out of pocket first and she said it should come off because of color and location end of my nose) but didn’t really say either way whether to be worried. I googled and have made myself absolutely sick thinking I have melanoma. I hate myself for not eating it checked earlier but it honestly was so small and unremarkable I truly didn’t think it would be anything. But the internet has made me believe the worst, and on top of it my husband has deployed overseas today, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I’m so terrified of the outcome. Does this sound ominous? Is the description on line with melanoma? I’m only 29 and the thought of having cancer and leaving my two year old is making me incapable of functioning out of fear. please help!
If it hasn’t changed in 2.5 years I’d say it sounds pretty safe!!!
If it hasn’t changed in 2.5 years I’d say it sounds pretty safe!!!
Exactly! The doctor is practicing CYA (cover your arse) medicine. I have two on my face that are considerably larger than yours and they're fine so...
Positive thoughts
Exactly! The doctor is practicing CYA (cover your arse) medicine. I have two on my face that are considerably larger than yours and they're fine so...
Positive thoughts
Are they black? I know not changing is a good sign, I just kept finding articles that started with “melanoma can be a black mole” and “get all spots checked if they are new, no matter what!l” I am so worried about it.
You've had it 2.5 years and it hasn't changed. You'll be seeing a derm soon enough and they'll confirm it. I'll have the "Told ya so Gang" on standby :winks:
Positive thoughts
Benign moles can also be black! They used to be referred to as beauty spots! And after having it for over two years, it’s no longer considered a new mole!
Believe me, I get it! I have extreme mole fear! But a tiny dot of a mole, that has remained unchanged for so long sounds perfectly safe! Pregnancy can increase the amount of melanin we produce and cause new moles and marks to appear! I developed a couple of things that look like birth marks during pregnancy!!!
I’d be willing to place money on your little black mole being completely harmless!
Thanks for making me feel better, I just keep thinking about all the time I spent in the sun, and all the time I spent not going to the dr about this! I am really hopeful that’s it’s just a spot from sun/pregnancy, but I still feel so sick whenever I think about it, mostly because whatever I find online is absolutely terrifying
Yeah. Dr Google is a d*ck. he ruined my life! If you must look online, try googling ‘benign black mole’ rather than ‘melanoma’. The results will be a lot more reassuring!
Update: the dr thinks it’s a “blue nevus”. I looke it up and seems similar to what I have. Anyone have one of these?
worriermama
13-05-18, 00:01
I know a lot about melanoma. My dad has had one removed (he's fine, it was basically stage 0, even though he let it go for about a year before having it looked at!) and two of his siblings have had it. I have had multiple atypical moles removed, including one with "severe atypia." I used to be really scared about melanoma but now I've just accepted that I'm high risk, and I keep up with my skin checks!
So, my derm has told me that generally they don't worry about a mole if it's "just a dot." I too have some small, dark, round "dots" that came up during my pregnancies. The hormone changes can cause you to get new moles/freckles. If it's very small and not changing I would not worry.
Get your skin checks. Melanoma when caught early will most like NEVER cause any problems for a person. They do a wide excision, increase the frequency of your screenings from that point forward, and that's that. Just look your skin over every couple months and have it looked at professionally as recommended. I go twice a year because of my family history.
Also do you know about the "ugly duckling" principle? They say that if a mole is very different from all the other moles on your body it's not a bad idea to remove it. If it looks like it's a "relative" of your other moles, it's more likely benign. For me personally, if I find an ugly duckling, I go in and my derm removes it.
Also, the vast majority of melanomas grow laterally on the skin for a while before they start growing deeper. So if you get something taken off promptly when it starts changing, it's very unlikely that it will have had time to grow deeper to a more advanced stage.
I hope this helps. Just be proactive and you will be fine. There is really no need to panic. Another thing my derm said is that most people who run into trouble with melanoma do so because they ignored an obviously suspicious lesion for a long period of time.
Thank you, that’s actually really helpful and comforting. I’m assuming it needs removal because it is unlike my other moles, and of course because it’s on my face. I think I tend to assume the worst case of the worst scenario, which makes everything so much scarier.
Oh my goodness, I'M sorry to say that but I am happy to find others obsessing about this. I can relate.
I have dozens of nevi and a few moles, and now my obsession is the same. I'm 18 with very fair skin, and so no wonder i have lots of spots. Recently I've got obsessed with the fact that I must have found a lot of new really tiny ones.... I can'T look at myself without getting horribly sick. Everyone around me thinks I'm overreacting tho, I have ocd...
roseanxiety
14-05-18, 03:23
Yes, thank you for that post , Worriermama. I needed to hear this in preparation for my mole
check this week. [emoji4]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi, I know this thread of mine is old, but I figured I'd post here instead of starting a new thread. I am curious, before I panic (and I am making a conscious effort these days not to panic, but instead just be proactive about my health in a realistic way), can moles grow back? Back in December, I had a skin colored mole on my inner leg removed because I asked the doctor if she could take it off. She used liquid nitrogen to freeze it off, like a wart I guess. No biopsy because she said it was a normal looking mole. Well, I have kept an eye on the spot, which was a pink scar where the mole fell off. It seems to be growing back a bit, smaller and flatter than before. Is this something I should be concerned and go in to the dr for, or not? She told me annual skin checks were fine, so I am not due for one until December, and I don't want to overreact. But I also don't want to let something sit that could be bad.
I wouldn't worry about it, to be honest. Normal looking moles don't tend to develop into anything nasty.
SnowyGreen
15-05-19, 05:44
'
I would just go in and have them remove it again. Moles can grow back, I've had a few grow back. Just means they didn't get all the cells when they removed it the first time, and since they froze it off, they wouldn't have gotten any cells under it. Just have them remove what is coming back if you are concerned, but i wouldn't worry. I know, easier said than done. Moles that grow back after removal often look worse because now they are growing back through a scar which is distorting them and making them look ominous.
Did all your moles that came back get removed again? It doesn't really bother me if it stays as long as I know it's ok that its there
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