Atypical Mole

Greetings.

My name is Drew and I'm 25 and I live in Houston.
I'm worried about a mole that is only my left leg just above my knee.

It has always been large, just slightly larger than the size of a pencil eraser and it is symmetrical and round. It is dark brown, but not black.

Here is the thing that concerns me. Because the hair that grows out of the mole is darker and thicker than the other hairs on my leg, I pluck them out on a regular basis. Because of this there are raised white "bumps" that are present where the hair grows out.

Now I have been doing this for nearly 10 years. The mole has not increased in size, but my fiancee saw the white bumps and thinks I ought to have this removed immediately.

In your opinion, what am we looking at here?

Drew
Houston, TX

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

A normal mole with a hair in it.

Hair in a mole is a good sign, not a bad one.  Despote folklore to the contrary, plucking a hair from a mole is perfectly safe.  The "white bumps" may just be a bit of inflammation in the follicle after you extract the hair.

My advice is to have your doctor check the mole.  At that point you can decide to leave it alone, or if it makes you anxious, just to get it off.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[Chatocqua]

My name is Chatocqua and I have moles all over my body the ones on my neck lifts up off my skin.  Everytime I put on a necklace it rubs up against my moles and it causes them to hurt.  I have picked off a couple.  Do you think I should have them looked at so they can be removed?