Just not sure about this odd mole....

[auniec]

I have had this mole for as long as I can remember, and it has always been large ( 5mm) and round,flat,  with tan pigment.  I am fair and freckle quite a bit in the shoulders and arms.  I have several moles, including a few large ones ( 6mm) on my back that I get checked regularly by a derm.  I did have a couple of moles biopsied a few years ago, which turned out to be benign.  I mentioned this mole to my dermatologist at my check in the spring, however she didn't seem concerned about it.  I was concerned  because it seems to have developed some small areas of darker pigment, including one spot that is quite dark.  I don't think the size or shape of the mole has changed, but it is hard to say because it is on an odd angle for me to look at on my upper arm and I never really took notice of it before.  The darker spot was definately not there previously.
I went  to my dermatologist yesterday, and again, she didn't seem worried.  She said that perhaps the darker areas were freckles under the mole .  I have never heard of a mole getting freckles.  I have always thought that moles are not supposed to change color at all.  While the mole looks very round from a distance, when magnified the shape is a bit odd, with the top half being much darker than the bottom.  She told me that she could remove it if it made me feel better, but would have to charge me as it would be cosmetic.  
This left me not really knowing what to do.  My other moles that were removed left bad scars, and my husband feels that I am being paranoid and thinks it is ridiculous to remove another mole if she said it isn't necessary.  He thinks it is all in my head and that I am going to keep getting moles removed until I look like a checkerboard.  .  Would you consider this mole suspicious?

Here are some pics:
http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1770/9676347/19873868/332264571.jpg

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1770/9676347/19873868/332264584.jpg

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

The mole doesn't look suspicious to me at all.  If the dermatologist who saw it in person thinks so too, I would go with her judgment.  It is normal for moles to change a bit over time.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[auniec]

I think this pic is a bit better

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1770/9676347/19873868/332264577.jpg

[auniec]

Just wanted to add that the dark spot hasn't changed since the spring (when I first noticed it).  It hasn't gotten any larger.  The mole hasn't changed in size and shape that I know of either.