Worrisome moles

[student898]

Hi,

I have had a mole for as long as I can remember on my upper left arm. The mole has always had a mixed color but recently, after doing a project on skin cancer for school, has started worrying me. The mole is round and slightly raised but the color is light brown with a small black dot to in it. Sometimes, it can look slightly green in the right light. As far as I remember, it has always looked like this. I asked my husband if he noticed any changes and he says that it has always looked this way. Another of my concerns is a very small mole/freckle that is not raised but is assymetrical and has irregular borders. This is located on my upper right breast and has rarely been exposed to sun. I remember it being completely round and filled in and it seems that it has disappeared. Now, it is almost gone and one side is bigger than the other. The smaller side is just a dark brown dot and the larger side is very irregular shaped. Like I said the whole think cummulatively is very small but the change worries me. Is this abnormal? I have a doctors appointment but I am very worried and the anticipation is killing me! Thank you for any help... I am 23 years old.

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Moles are overgrowths of the skin's pigment cells (melanocytes). Almost all of us have them. Moles are not normally present at birth but appear in childhood and early teenage years.Moles are generally medium to dark brown in colour though they range from skin coloured to black. The majority of moles are flat, relatively even in colour and regular in shape. Some moles are raised and these are usually soft to touch and lighter in colour.
The number of moles that develop in an individual is determined by both genetic (inherited) factors and by sun exposure.
Dysplastic moles are moles that have evolved some way toward melanoma. Since only very few dysplastic moles actually turn into melanoma they do not need to be removed routinely.
Dysplastic moles are typically larger than other moles and often have a smudgy, ill-defined border (mole gradually fades into the surrounding skin), uneven colour, irregular shape and some pinkness. Some of these features may also be seen in melanomas. Sometimes it can be hard even for your dermatologist to confidently distinguish a dysplastic mole from melanoma. In that case the mole is removed and sent for pathology.
Melanomas distinguish themselves from moles by changing. The changes occur in size (enlargement), shape or colour (usually all three). That is, melanomas get larger, more irregular in shape and most often darker and more uneven in colour.
ref:http://www.dermcoll.asn.au/public/a-z_of_skin-moles_melanoma.asp
Wait for the doctor's opinion and hope for the best news.