worried about a mole

I am a hypochondriac, and I hate rushing off the doctor and paying a hundred bucks every time I Google diagnose myself so I'm coming here first. I have a mole on my shoulder that has been there since I can remember. I have no idea what it looked like previously, as I just paid any attention to it today. I noticed that it is mostly symmetrical, but there is a slight weird edge on one side...not insanely obviously, but definitely juts out just a little more on one side. There is one lighter area inside of it, which is the color of my skin, and there are three tiny darker brown specks as well. Don't ask me why, but I applied a slight amount of pressure to it and got a very minuscule amount of blood. This occurs any time I apply pressure but no other time...and the amount of blood is hardly noticeable. I may have scratched it by accident, because I can vaguely see a slight mark in the center of it. The main thing that has me worried is the slightly weird shape and varied colors. The edge just looks like someone cut a small part out of it because the edge appears to dip in on one small part and then jut back out at the other part. It's not overly big, probably the exact size of a pencil eraser, but it has been this size for as long as I can remember...but again, I wasn't paying attention. It feels slightly raised when touching it, but you can't tell by looking at it. Yes, I am aware that I am obsessive.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Welcome to the Dermatology Expert Forum! You don’t sound obsessive, just worried, and I support your wish to make sure that all is regular with your mole.

Slightly asymmetrical and raised pigmented lesion with diameter of 0.5 cm, and variations in color should be evaluated by a dermatologist. If such a lesion has not changed it’s characteristics in decades, it is most likely benign, but the rule is to exclude differential diagnosis of melanoma.


Wishing You Optimal Health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic