picked off mole/freckle

[bexarooney]

hello , i have picked off a freckle type mark from my leg it was small and one shade of brown. i have seen a derm as i was concerned i have picked off a melenoma (i have very bad health anxiety) he has looked at the mark through a dermascope and a special camera and says it is nothing to worry about. i picked it off about 3 mths ago and nothing has re grown.... the derm says he would still be able to tell if it was melenoma as you cant pick it away... is this true????? i am very worried it will spread in my body and you wont be able to tell as it has just healed to normal skin.... just some reassurance really .. is my derm correct in what he is telling me?? thankyou...the mark has just healed to nothing now just normal skin.. before i picked it was about 2mm round , one shade of medium brown

[roxie39]

A related discussion, i am scared i picked a little brown mark? was started.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Rebecca,

Your dermatologist gave you detailed and correct explanations.

However, if your anxiety is still growing, performing a biopsy, as golden standard in diagnosis of melanoma, might be that calming solution/resolution for your overall health.

Wishing You Optimal Health and Inner Peace,
Dr Jasmina Jankicevic

[bexarooney]

thankyou for your post.... my dermatologist has decided that the dermoscopy results are good enough to say that the mark was fine. he says that if it were a melenoma as i have just picked it not actually cut it out that the dermascope would still show changes in the skin as it has healed. do you think this is all correct?? i dont no why i dont beleive him i maybe need to work on the anxiety issues??   i am really worried i have picked away a melenoma and it will be too late and it may have spread to far !! sounds silly but this is a real concern to me!! do you think i need to worry or not?? my derm says that this is why they cut out melenoma as apose to just scraping it off , because it doesnt just go away if you pick it off , they can still see it .... many thanks rebecca

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Welcome to the Dermatology Expert Forum! Thank you for your post.

It is quite often that patients worry about melanoma after experiencing physical trauma of a mole. The job of a dermatologist is to exclude the melanoma. With no clinical signs of any type of pigmented mole and reassuring dermoscopy results, you should calm down.

However, if your anxiety is still progressing, your dermatologist might suggest frequent follow-ups or even performing a biopsy of skin at the location of that “freckle/mole”.

Try to stop exhausting your body with fear and negative thoughts.


Wishing You Optimal Health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic