Question about a mole

Hi Cate/Lilcate 

That's great to read that your husband's mole turned out to be benign and that the consultant has checked his other moles and is happy that none of them need removing.

I think you can take comfort from the fact that the dermatologist saw the new mole your concerned about when she checked your husband and was happy that there was no reason to remove it.

Like your husband, I have many moles and it's difficult to know if a new one appears or if any change. What I was recommended to do by my consultant was to take photos of the various parts of my body to use as a base line when I did my monthly checks. So, for example, upper right arm, lower right arm, back of upper left leg, front of upper left leg, and so on. That way you can compare each month how his moles look now to how they look when you/he check do your monthly check.

Anne

Thank you for your reply I am really worried about it. 

As it is small at the moment would the GP put in a referral. I don't want to wait but as I said it's small even and one colour. 

Does it hurt to wait in these situations or is it an automatic removal because he's over 50 and it's new? 

Thanks again 

It wouldn't be an automatic removal just because of your husband's age and the fact that the mole is new. The dermatologist would only recommend it be removed if they believed there was a possibility that it could be a melanoma.

I assume that as the mole your husband had removed was, thankfully, not a melanoma he's now been discharged. If that's the case then he would need to start the referral process again through his GP.

If he hasn't been discharged, or has been given a contact number in case he's concerned about anything, then he could get in touch with his consultant and see if the mole he's worried about could be looked at.

You might find this information from Macmillan on signs and symptoms of melanoma helpful to have a look through.

Thank you so much for your reply it means a lot. 

I'm terrified in a few weeks it will be massive and grow really quickly. 

It would be a new referral and he is reluctant as he thinks I'm worrying about nothing. But i want to get it sorted. I don't know enough about new moles at his age for when to know, when to panic as I said he has bigger moles that he's always had and I'm not worried about those. 

I hate the fact I know about all of this know and I'm panicking over every little freckle. I hate looking at him incase I see something new. It's driving me mad! 

Thank you again for replying 

It's natural to worry now you're aware of melanoma so please consider taking photos for a baseline so that you will more easily be able to spot anything new or different on your monthly checks. If you or your husband notice a mole you're concerned about you could also measure it so that you can see if it changes in size from one month to another.

You say that

Lilcate said:

I don't know enough about new moles at his age for when to know, when to panic

Have you had chance to read through the guide I linked you to about how to recognise signs and symptoms of melanoma yet? Your husband's age has nothing to do with whether you should worry or not about a new mole.

You say

Lilcate said:

he thinks I'm worrying about nothing. But i want to get it sorted

and

Lilcate said:

The dermologist has seen it when she was looking at his moles

so what make you think that the dermatologist needs to see it again? Has it changed since she saw it?

((hugs))

I have now had a look through and it doesn't mention age. It says online that all new moles over the age of 50 are suspicious which is really why I'm worried. 

The dermatologist just looked at his back and his front at his moles and then didn't say anything. I wished I would have asked her, but we'd had a long wait for results over our appointment time, by which point I was already in floods of tears, so when she said it was fine, I think I was in shock and then I didn't ask about it. 

I admire everyone going through this because I can not handle it at all  thanks again for taking your time for all these replys I know the only way to know is to go to the GP! 

Morning Lilcate and I hope you had a good night's sleep.

The first thing I'm going to suggest is that you stop googling. We've all been there, searching for reassurance but unless you look on reputable websites you are likely to come across misinformation.

You say

Lilcate said:

I have now had a look through and it doesn't mention age. It says online that all new moles over the age of 50 are suspicious

but despite not reading anything on the Macmillan page on signs and symptoms of melanoma you still believe some random internet website. Which melanoma site has told you this?

I have looked through the Cancer Research, NHS, British Association of Dermatologists, Melanoma UK and Macmillan pages on melanoma and haven't found one reference to new moles appearing when you are over 50 being more suspicious than at any other age.

You should concentrate on the fact that your husband has not been diagnosed with melanoma and that when the consultant looked him over she did not find any other moles, including this new one, that concerned her.

The best thing that you and your husband can do now is to practice being safe in the sun, as that's the best way of preventing skin cancer. The following is the information I was given when I was diagnosed and is still relevant:

1. Stay out of the sun during the strongest time of the day (11am to 3pm) between April and October inclusive in the UK and in all months of the year in any other part of the world
2. When going outside wear long sleeved tops and trousers/skirts made from natural fibres like cotton
3. Wear a broad brimmed hat (brim should be at least 3 inches) and sun glasses
4. Sit in the shade and never sunbathe 
5. Any part of your body that is not covered, ie face, neck, back of hands should have a sun protection cream of SPF 50 that is effective against both UVA and UVB rays
6. Re-apply the sunscreen as directed on the bottle
7. Never use sunbeds
8. Don't use sunscreen instead of covering up

If you really feel that you can't stop looking for information about moles on the internet then please stick to the websites that I've mentioned above.

Sending virtual ((hugs))

Hi. The BAD leaflet about reducing the risk of skin cancer does say new moles, esp after age 40, should be shown to GP.British Association of Dermatologists

Hope you're ok. On balance I would ask GP if they think they need to look at it. I think new moles become less common over about 40 so a new one maybe needs looking at but I also think its really reassuring the derm didn't flag it and also its not changing. If you are anxious I suspect you're like me and the minute you leave an appointment you think of 17 extra things you wish you'd asked... Its really tricky. There is a balance between seeking too much reassurance and falling into a real rabbit hole, and undertaking sensible checks, but its hard to find when we're upset and scared. I hope you're ok and like I say I would just ask the GP initially if they think he needs to be seen (we can do online queries which this would work well for, if your surgery offers similar?). Good luck.

Yes you're right Ele76 , but it doesn't say that all moles are suspicious.