What IS this thing on me?!

Hi Dr.,

I am a 25 year old female.

Last July or August, I noticed a  dark-colored freckle-like thing on the palm of my hand.  It concerned me a bit, but I didn't really worry much about it. I was in the sun a lot around that time (almost every day, with no sunscreen).

I have been looking at it again lately for some reason.  I think that it might have grown a bit, but not a lot - I really can't tell for sure though.  I also noticed that it is not symmetrical.  Whatever it is, it is not elevated, and it is smaller than in the picture, so it is probably about 2 mm or so.

I went to my dermatology nurse practitioner a few days ago, and she didn't seem very concerned.  She looked at it under the goggles/light (what do those do?), and told me that I'm fine, and that I should just watch it for growth.  She said that these types of things often show up due to hormones and such, but she never told me what it could be.

I took this picture today, and it shows it in so much more detail than in real life. Like I said, it is really about 2 mm or so in size, so it's difficult to see the details.

I've had it for about 9 months or so since I first noticed it.  Neither of my parents have ever had skin cancer, and they are out in the sun working a lot, without sunscreen. I have blue eyes, but I tan easily and rarely burn. I only have 3 or 4 moles on my body, and they are all small, round, and a lighter brown, and I've had them for as long as I can remember.

This weird thing is located kind of on a vein under my skin, or maybe just right to the side of it.  I'm not sure if that's relevant or not.

Here is the pic: http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=otollf&s=7

What do you think?  Should I be concerned?  What could this be besides melanoma?

I am always out in the sun, because it makes my depression better.  I have been going to the tanning bed a lot over the past few months, but before that, I had only been there maybe 10-15 times about 8 years ago.

Thank you so much for your help.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Welcome to the Dermatology Expert Forum!

This hyperpigmented macule you described and posted pictures of looks like benign ink spot lentigo or mealnocytic nevus.

However, you are absolutely right, it should be investigated as every other asymmetric pigmented lesion with irregular border and multiple colors and noticed enlargement over past nine months.

Any possibility of malignant origins has to be absolutely excluded. Your dermatologist should take a detailed medical history; perform clinical examination and digital dermoscopy. If all of that is not conclusive, biopsy is the most radical but reliable diagnostic strategy.

Wishing You Optimal Health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic

[DramaPrincess1986]

Here are a couple of pictures from further away:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2n09a3a&s=7
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=116up8n&s=7

It's definitely not a freckle.  In person, you can tell that there's something there in the skin, and that it's not just regular, colored skin.

Thanks again for your help.

[eyeguard]

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