Scalp Mole: Should I Worry?

[aloy-]

I’ve been pretty good about my mole anxiety lately, but today it was set off again. My boyfriend was shaving my undercut and, when finished, I noticed a mole I hadn’t caught before. He said he remembers seeing it when he last cut my hair (about a month ago) but my uncertainty is making me panic. I’ve done some googling (I know, bad idea) and, it very closely resembles an eclipse nevus, which is benign.

I’m 21, and from my understanding, new eclipse nevus tend to happen in children. I am quite moley, though, and have already had two moles that were atypical in appearance removed that turned out to be benign. My last full body check was in January, and nothing about a scalp mole was mentioned. I plan to schedule an appointment to get it checked soon, just to be safe, but for now, I need another opinion. Granted, I usually keep my undercut a bit longer and the mole could easily blend in with my hair (which could be why it wasnt mentioned at the full body check) but seeing something new in such an odd place has me freaked.

Thanks for anyone who can give some advice ☺️

UPDATE: added a picture from March where you can also see no trace of the mole I noticed... now I’m even more worried. :(

[aloy-]

here’s another pic that shows off the new mole in comparison to a mole i was born with. i’m trying not to panic until i can schedule an appt but it’s hard ��

[nomorepanic]

That picture was HUGE so I have removed it

[Shadowhawk]

While it doesn't look crazy, it's always a good idea to get new moles checked out. Doesn't mean it's cancer, but it is a warning sign to check out

[Masqued]

I'd definitely get it checked. Hairline is a common place for skin cancer.

[MRS STRESS ED]

I'd definitely get it checked. Hairline is a common place for skin cancer.

Yes l agree but it doesn't mean it is skin cancer , hopefully just a mole with nothing to worry about

[aloy-]

Yes l agree but it doesn't mean it is skin cancer , hopefully just a mole with nothing to worry about



Thanks for that, reading that the hairline is a common place for skin cancer to pop up made me worry all over again :weep: i’m calling monday to try to get in asap, crossing my fingers so hard that it’s nothing!

Thing is, all day tomorrow at work, I had a feeling I’d had the mole and just looked it over? It blends in with my hair pretty well (about the same shade, I’ve noticed ,) and I realized the picture from March where you can’t see it isn’t the best... It also apparently looks the same since my boyfriend noticed it last month, so I’m hoping it’s again just my health anxiety and I’ll get the all clear. The first mole I had checked was much, much darker than this one, and much bigger, and it was benign!

[lucymarie]

Thanks for that, reading that the hairline is a common place for skin cancer to pop up made me worry all over again :weep: i’m calling monday to try to get in asap, crossing my fingers so hard that it’s nothing!

Thing is, all day tomorrow at work, I had a feeling I’d had the mole and just looked it over? It blends in with my hair pretty well (about the same shade, I’ve noticed ,) and I realized the picture from March where you can’t see it isn’t the best... It also apparently looks the same since my boyfriend noticed it last month, so I’m hoping it’s again just my health anxiety and I’ll get the all clear. The first mole I had checked was much, much darker than this one, and much bigger, and it was benign!

Aloy try to not focus too much on that previous comment. There are many areas of the body that are a ‘common’ place for melanoma, that doesn’t mean moles there are by default cancerous - in fact the vast majority won’t be. Common is a red herring anyway because in itself melanoma is very rare. You are doing the best thing by getting it check but it will most likely be nothing, especially if it hasn’t changed since you noticed it.

[aloy-]

Aloy try to not focus too much on that previous comment. There are many areas of the body that are a ‘common’ place for melanoma, that doesn’t mean moles there are by default cancerous - in fact the vast majority won’t be. Common is a red herring anyway because in itself melanoma is very rare. You are doing the best thing by getting it check but it will most likely be nothing, especially if it hasn’t changed since you noticed it.

Thank you for that!! I was trying to rationalize last night by reminding myself how rare it is to begin with, but seeing articles talk about how poor prognosis is when it’s the scalp freaked me out. Then again, none of those articles ever talk about what stages the subjects were in lol.

I feel a bit better today. Going to call tomorrow to set up an appointment!

[Cptdebbie]

I have lots of moles. I even got mole mapped in 2002. (Not fun. Think of yourself naked and posing in strange positions while someone you don't know takes pictures of you.)

A doctor's appointment is definitely a good thing to do. Just as a means of comfort, though, if I saw your mole on my body, I would not worry about it unless it grew bigger than 6mm. It's normal to grow moles until you are 30 or so. Amazingly, I'm 57 and I grew a new one last year. My dermatologist said we could just watch it. Of course, since I have health anxiety, I chose to cut that baby off. It was 8 mm long but totally benign. My doc told me he sees people all the time who grow new moles later in life. I think they just want to be more careful if you are older.

I'll bet you are perfectly fine. It never hurts to be checked though. Since I got mole mapped I've only had that one new mole removed. The mole mapping has been very helpful. I don't have to have moles cut off anymore just because they are weird. I have proof that they were weird a decade ago. :shades:

Good Luck :hugs:

[aloy-]

I have lots of moles. I even got mole mapped in 2002. (Not fun. Think of yourself naked and posing in strange positions while someone you don't know takes pictures of you.)

A doctor's appointment is definitely a good thing to do. Just as a means of comfort, though, if I saw your mole on my body, I would not worry about it unless it grew bigger than 6mm. It's normal to grow moles until you are 30 or so. Amazingly, I'm 57 and I grew a new one last year. My dermatologist said we could just watch it. Of course, since I have health anxiety, I chose to cut that baby off. It was 8 mm long but totally benign. My doc told me he sees people all the time who grow new moles later in life. I think they just want to be more careful if you are older.

I'll bet you are perfectly fine. It never hurts to be checked though. Since I got mole mapped I've only had that one new mole removed. The mole mapping has been very helpful. I don't have to have moles cut off anymore just because they are weird. I have proof that they were weird a decade ago. :shades:

Good Luck :hugs:

Thank you :hugs: I have my appt scheduled, unfortunately the earliest they could get me in will be Sept 6th. It still looks the same since I noticed, so I’m just going to keep an eye on it until then! I feel less anxious about it since my boyfriend said it hasn’t hanged since he noticed it a month earlier: it’s on the bigger side (haven’t measured exactly yet), but I have two other moles around the same size and they’re about 5mm.

Now to just keep calm until the 6th!

[aloy-]

I hate to do this again....
so, it’s been two years since I noticed it. When I got it checked, the derm said it looked fine, and took a pic to check later. i’ve mostly forgot about it and check on it every now and then. I haven’t really had the time or money to go back yet. Today, I’m almost concerned it looks a little bigger... but it’s hard to tell because I only have the pics I posted here to compare it to, and I can’t really get the angle the same. My fiancé said it looks fine in color, similar to a mole I have on my temple, and the picture does look ok in color to me. It’s the size worry that’s setting me into a panic where I feel sick...
when I look in the mirror, it doesn’t look too different than what I remember? It looks small in the original picture I posted and I really can’t tell if that’s angle or not. Help ��
pic : https://imgur.com/a/0nMtGCw

[NancyW]

Aloy why not just get it removed so you can be done with it?

I've had several over the years that I got fixated on and just asked to have them removed, it's such an easy procedure.

[aloy-]

Aloy why not just get it removed so you can be done with it?

I've had several over the years that I got fixated on and just asked to have them removed, it's such an easy procedure.

I think that’s what I’ll end up doing, honestly. I felt a little better last night, as the second picture I took looked more like the picture I originally posted, so I don’t think it’s changed much if at all, and it’s hard to tell if it has slightly changed when my anxiety keeps playing tricks on me. I think I’ll call again this week to try and get in for a look at it.
I’ve had two moles removed already (the first looked worse than this one, was a funny shape and about two times the width of this one) and they were both fine, just atypical. This one does scare me a bit. Being on my scalp, the thought of them having to remove it kind of scares me.

It’s frustrating, I haven’t thought about it in two years and now I’m hyperfixating on it again, worried about the possibility of change.... I feel so silly :(

[aloy-]

Can’t get into the derm until I can pay off a bill.... stuck on unemployment from the virus.... I feel so anxious and sick. I have a visit with my GP on the 10th so I guess I’m just going to have her take a second look until I can afford the other bill.

[aloy-]

Bumping a very old thread of mine because… I got into the derm. She had a look and explained the type of mole this was (something about an egg, tbh I was too afraid to remember that part) and said that they usually keep a closer eye on those since they are in a difficult spot. She asked if I had noticed any changes, I told her I thought I did but had too hard of a time really seeing/getting good pics to compare. She asked if I wanted to keep an eye on it, or go ahead and shave it. I opted to have it shaved.
They pulled up the pic from when I had it first checked a few years ago, and she said it did look a little darker. I’ll have an update in 1-2 weeks.

I keep telling myself if she thought it looked horrible, she wouldn’t have given me the option to begin with. But… I keep sticking on to the fact that it did look darker. Worrying that I let it go too long when it was changing and I didn’t even realize. There’s a bit of light brown left where the mole was removed and I can’t tell if it’s pigment that went deeper or if it’s scabbing over already. This is worrying me even more. Just feeling a mess and angry with myself for going so long :((