A Mole With A White Circle

Hello. I have a mole on the lef side of my neck. It developed years ago. I went to a dermatologist in 2009 and he said it was nothing to worry about. The mole is black, and oval. I noticed last night that there is a small white circle on the left side of the mole. I actually noticed this in the past (a few months ago) and thought maybe it was dry. If you wet the mole, the white circle goes away, but comes back. There has been no growth to the mole, and there is nothing irregular about it. I intend to go to the dermatologist later this week, but I am scared. Is this anything to worry about? I wish I could send a photo--all I can say is that there is this small thin white circle on the left side of the mole, and in fact, unless you look very closely, you would not even see it in the mirror. HELP. I am worried.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Welcome to the Dermatology Expert Forum!

If the white circle “goes away” when skin is wet, it is probably an area of increased skin dryness and desquamation. This is not a reason by itself to be concerned, especially if the mole has not changed any of its qualities (symmetry, diameter below 0.5 cm, clear border, steady color, third dimension, etc). However, any change in a pigmented lesion requires attention and evaluation of your dermatologist.

Feel free to let us know how your visit to dermatologist went.


Wishing You Optimal Health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic