Dome Shaped Reddish Bump on Chest

Hello, I am a 43 year old white male who has a question about a bump (mole?) on my chest.  It is reddish in color and symmetrically dome shaped.  Size is about 3-4mm (smaller than a pencil erasure).  There is no other discoloration around it.  I have had it (as far as I know) for about four years and there has been no noticable growth.  It does not bleed or itch nor has it changed color since I first noticed it.  I wouldn't even be asking but a friend said I should get it checked out as it may be nodular melanoma (he said this was due to the shape/color and the fact that it showed fairly recently).  Since it takes about six months to get an appointment with the dermatologist, I was wondering if I should try to speed up the process if there is a chance it is melanoma.  Since I thought melanoma was a fairly fast moving cancer, I would think I would have more symptoms by now.  I would appreciate your thoughts and advice on this.  

Thank you

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

6 months!

I'm sure you realize that I can't do more than guess without seeing this bump.  From your description, the odds are great that this is a mole and not a nodular melanoma.  But there's no substitute for being seen.  So I advise you to call for a cancellation, or just badger the dermatologists in town until you get seen, so you can most likely forget about it.  Being pushy can be helpful sometimes.

6 months!

Dr. Rockoff