I keep getting new moles on my body- worried and scared of melanoma

[elle95]

Almost two years without loggin in and I'm back for advice.. I'm 26 year old black woman of mainly african and then some european ancestry. My skin tone is simlar to that of Naomi Campbell.

I've had about 5 or 6 moles before turning 20 on different parts of my body. Last year, I discovered a new mole on my hairline and didn't worry about it. Then months later, discovered another one on my stomach and I was like ''uh??? ok...''. I think that was a couple months ago.

But today, while scratching my right foot, I noticed there was a new mole in there that I have never ever seen there before. The mole is not on my sole but it is near my ankle. Looks round, dark, normal edges and it is not big. Looks like a ''Pretty harmless mole'' but the thing that is freaking me out it is because it seemed to have popped up overnight.

Like, two days ago I was buying shoes ad trying them and never saw a mole in there. When I shower I used a brush all around my feet but it's not like I look closely to them so I just don't know.

And of course I did the usual googling and a lot of Melanoma articles and pictures came up. This is totally freaking me out. I had no idea that this cancer was so aggresive and awful :( literally the deadliest skin cancer and methastizes in a short time to the brain. That's really horrifying.

So I barely spend time outdoors, I rarely tan but I do even though my skin is dark. I get a lot of hyperpigmentation too.

I know that because I am black and melanoma is so rare in darker skinned people but it can still happen and black people are often misdiagnosed and then it ends up being too late. I'm so worried about this and can't put my mind at ease.

I'm back to my health worries after three years of being in some sort of ''remission''. I was starting to feel a little bit more optimistic and enthusiastic about my future, looking forward to go to SPain for my masters. But now I'm back to my old ways of thinking I am doomed and will die young anytime soon.

If it was something I couldn't see maybe I would't be this concerned but unfortunately I can see that new mole and the others they are there on my skin sigh.

Any advice on how to cope with this?

[Fishmanpa]

You're really young so the chances of something serious are slim at best. I do understand the worry though. I'm in my 60's, have had a couple of heart attacks and Stage IVa H&N cancer. Over the last year or so, I've had a very itchy back (I have several moles) and recently have had several moles pop up overnight on my arms and other parts of my body. They're small (less than a pencil eraser, uniform etc.), they come up, get dark, sometimes raise a bit and then fade away in less than two weeks.

It concerned me being I've never had that before (and if you consult Dr Google, its melanoma) but.... The fact my body is fighting them off is a positive. Yeah, I should see the doctor, (and I'm due for my annual physical next month along with scans and such being a cancer survivor), ​but I feel fine otherwise, there are no other red flags and its not been truly that concerning so.... I'll bring it up at my physical and take it from there.

In reference to your post? We get moles and skin anomalies throughout our lives. Heck, I have a birth mark on my arm I've had since birth but it doesn't mean anything sinister. Yeah, you're hyper-focused in it for the moment and its worrying you but it most likely will be just another physical trademark of your physical appearance from now on and that's all it will ever be, like the moles and freckles we all have and are part of our physical appearance.

FMP

[nicole97]

If it helps, generally we get new, normal moles up until we are about 30. The biggest thing is watch for change. But also take a look, does it look like the other moles that popped up? I tend to go by the ugly ducking rule because I have SO many moles. If I can find more that look like that one, then those are just the kind of moles I have. If it looks NOTHING like the others (like it's VERY much darker or bigger, etc), then I have it checked just for peace of mind. Moles are such a pain, but like I said, people generally get new ones until they are about 30. After 30, if you get new ones, you should have them checked just in case. I get the anxiety though. I just had two more removed today that were concerning and I am already feeling like I will spiral (but I am also 45, lol).