Atypical Mole

Question: Anyone ever have a small group of atypical moles turn out to be nothing? I have a group of atypical moles on the top part of my thigh. The main one is a little bigger than a pencil eraser and is light brown with really dark brown/black freckle-looking spots inside and coming off the edge of the mole. It is very irregular in size and there are two more within 1/2-1 inch of that one that are doing the same thing. I also have a mole on my torso (about 2 inches below left breast) that semi-frequently scabs (eww, I know) and bleeds. I am really nervous to go and get them looked at, especially seeing as a family member (not extremely close, but not too distant either) just died of melanoma about 6 weeks ago. I was wondering if anyone ever had more than one atypical mole checked out and it be okay? Thanks!

Answer: I have several atypical moles that are nothing but they are checked on a routine basis. However, I have also had many basal cells, a rare multi-focal basal cell and a melanoma. Instead of being scared to go, you need to view a doctor visit as a possible life saver! If you have a melanoma, putting off the visit is only putting your life at risk. If treated early, it is totally curable! My melanoma was in 1983 and I have not had another since but I get checked yearly. Please see a dermatologist asap.

Question: biopsy of atypical mole? A dermatologist performed a biopsy on an atypical mole and from the pathology report he could not tell me if it was cancerous.Anyhow they are going to remove the whole mole plus I guess some surrounding tissue. My question is that a biopsy should always tell you if it is cancerous? Right? and he did not know

Answer: skin cancers are different. A biopsy will not always tell you right away if it is cancer. Have it removed and they can test better to see if you need any additional treatment. Almost always, you do not. And don't listen to Tom. That is one of the oldest old wives tales out there. Biopsying does not cause the cancer to spread. There are fewer and fewer people who believe this thankfully but not long ago people didn't go for treatment for fear the needle or knife would "spread" the cancer.

Question: atypical mole should I be concered? so my mom had just got her physical and came back telling me she may have a mole that just may be pre cancerous or cancerous. Now the doctor told my mom that she was not worried and should come back on sept. 9 to get it removed. so i did a little Research and found what my mom had was called an atypical mole. What I found was that these mole can turn into a deadly cancer called Melanoma. Not all of the them turn into cancer.My mom has no family history of melanoma at all. Online it says that most are bigger then a pencil eraser and are not symmetrical.Well my moms mole is smaller then a pencil eraser and looks symmetrical to me. the only description that really matches my mom mole is the color it is brown on the outside and black near the center. I know the dr. told my mom not to worry about it but it's kind of scary thinking that my mom might have cancer. Is there anyone who has had to have a mole removed due to cancerous concerns. Feel free to leave more info regrading these moles. THANKS!

Answer: For suspicious moles, the doctors remove them and have them biopsied. The layman's terms atypical or pre cancerous means that the moles have some abnormal cells. This means that you need to continue to get periodic Dermatologist exams to monitor any other suspicious moles. Keeping up with this is the best way to avoid a mole from becoming Melanoma. The key is regular self exams and Dermatologist exams. Even if it was Melanoma, caught early, is very treatable. You also should have your moles looked at as family history is a risk factor.

Question: does a very severely atypical mole = melanoma? Melanoma runs in my family, both grandfathers had it, and the paternal one passed away from melanoma. I have atypical nevus syndrome and go to my dermatologist every 3 months, with moles removed every visit. Most are only mild or moderate atypical.. I also always wear sunscreen and do what I can to stay safe w/ my moles! B/w last weeks visit and three months prior I grew a new mole on my stomach, it was biopsied and I was just told that it was very severely atypical. I am going back in a few weeks to have .5 margins removed.. I've been doing a lot of research on the net today, and some dermapaths are claiming that severely atypical means melanoma, in other words. So, my question is, is it beginning stages of melanoma or changing into melanoma? Thank you!

Answer: Atypical does not equal melanoma. If it were severely atypical it would likely become melanoma if it were left untreated. Melanoma in situ is melanoma that is not yet invasive and sometimes it is difficult for a pathologist to call it severely atypical or in situ. Part of how this is determined is science, art and experience. I suspect this is the basis of what you read. About 70% of patients with melanoma who have your condition had a preexisting nevus at the primary site.

Question: Atypical mole- should I be concerned? I found a mole relatively recently that I either didn't notice before, or has popped up new. The mole is small, less than a pencil eraser and relatively symmetrical. There is a small black dot within the mole, and it seems to get "dry" occasionally. However, I have not noticed any changes in size, shape, or color since I discovered it (I have been watching it pretty closely). I'm going to a doctor about it, but I was curious to see what others had to say...

Answer: yeah it is a good idea to go to the dr about it just to find out for sure what it is. sounds like to me it probably is not skin cancer, most skin cancers have irregular borders, are asymetric, and will change in size as they grow, and hty can be black, blue-ish black, or red. also they can be raised or scaly as well.

Question: Melanoma vs. Atypical mole? Has anyone every had a severly dysplastic mole? Have you had any additional problems sinces?

Answer: Dysplastic means the cells weren't normal but they weren't malignant yet. Had the mole not been removed it would've eventually become cancer. Did you have a bad sunburn when you were little? Just curious. You can get malignant melanoma in your eye, back, hidden areas, etc.. Did it itch? bad Did it bleed? bad Could you divide it in half and have equal areas on both sides? good Was it bigger than the head of a pencil? Watch your other moles for changes. You are the best for noticing a change. Anything suspicious - have it taken off. Once you are diagnosed with a bad mole you should have others surgically removed- not shaved. This is because the dysplastic cells go down and a shave done by a dermatologist only cuts across the top layer. Were your margins clear? You may require further treatment. Good luck to you!

Question: Is it necessary to have atypical moles removed? My parents are trying to convince me to go to the dermatologist to have my moles checked (I am 22). My brother has recently been and had 5 moles removed.. one required stitches and will leave a nice scar. 4 of them came back as being atypical but none were cancerous. Is it really necessary to have atypical moles removed? I have a couple that show some signs of the ABCDE's of melanoma (atypical). Should I get these removed or is watching them every month for signs of changes enough to prevent a major melanoma? I have never been concerned about them because these moles have been with me for years and have not changed. I don't want to remove them and end up with big scars if they are not causing problems, especially the one on my forearm.

Answer: You definitely should get them checked out. Tell the dermatologist that you only want to have the ones removed that he thinks should be removed. He may decide that you can come in for visits occasionally to keep track of these. But if you do have to have one removed later, it may be larger and leave an even bigger scar.

Question: I have 80 moles on body, none atypical, will I die of skin cancer? I am currently 23 years old I'm very worried. I realized I have about 80 moles on my skin, most are very small ~3mm in size. None that are characterized as "atypical nevi" based on the conventions I found online. Am I at a huge risk? Is it likely I will die of melanoma? Is it likely for people like me to live until age 80 or so?

Answer: Dysplastic nevi and atypical mole syndrome are hereditary conditions which causes a person to have a large quantity of moles (often 100 or more) with some larger than normal or atypical. This often leads to a higher risk of melanoma, a serious skin cancer. Dysplastic nevi are more likely than ordinary moles to become cancerous. Dysplastic nevi are common, and many people have a few of these abnormal moles. Having more than 50 ordinary moles increases the risk of developing melanoma. The above is a quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(skin_… You should be checked regularly for any changes in your moles and to note any new ones. I would suggest you have someone take high resolution photos of your skin so you can determine changes or new moles. You should not worry excessively, just be aware and check regularly. Hope this helps.

Question: What does mild to moderate atypical cells from a skin biopsy mean? a removal of a mole came back with moderate a typical results, now they want to take a bigger pc out of my skin! what does that mean?

Answer: Precancerous...I think...they want to get it all out. You have to have a margin of healthy cells when you take out a cancerous or precancerous lesion...to be safe.

Question: Mole Question...? I've had a mole on my forearm for my entire life (not sure if it was there when I was born, but probably not!) It's not really changed, but has some of the ABCDE characteristics. For example, sort-of assymetrical, irregular border (but an ovalish shape), color is pretty much the same but a bit lighter in the middle. Diameter is smaller than a pencil eraser, and it is elavated, but always has been and hasn't changed. This picture looks quite a lot like my mole: http://www.skincancer.org/images/stories… Should I get it checked out/removed, or am I fine right now? My family have always had atypical moles, but nobody in my family that I know of have developed skin cancer. I'm thirteen, can melanoma occur at this age?

Answer: moles are a sign of beauty, forget about the moles unless they throb with some kind of pain. U are fine and should be proud of all your moles.