melanoma fear

[Sregeem]

i am 8 months pregnant with my first child--i'm 29. i've had a small (slightly smaller than a sesame seed), very dark mole on the very bottom of my right breast for years--can't remember if it's been there my whole life or not. it's grown during pregnancy, which i realize isn't abnormal as my breast has grown--although it's almost underneath my breast as opposed to ON it. 2 things concern me--one is that it is multi-colored--the part that has grown around it seems to be lighter and redish in color with the dark brown part still there from the original mole. borders are regular. size is nearly double what it was, but still obviously much smaller than a pencil eraser. also, it has peeled twice--flakey white skin that i picked off--my husband thinks this is because i'm touching and scratching at it all the time, but this is a chicken-egg question as i can't remember which came first and now it has me quite concerned. yes, i generally worry about my health. no melanoma that i know of in my family--my father is a redhead who grew up in hawaii and he's had a few benign skin cancers on his chest over teh last 20 years--apparently nothing that was a big deal. i've worked myself into a state of near panic, and can't see my dr. until next week. any thoughts welcome--specifically if it's common to have early melanoma this small, and if so does that mean a better prognosis.

[Sregeem]

thanks for responding--but could you answer my specific question which is, can a melanoma be this small, and with even borders? and, can a normal mole be multi-colored?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Please leave the mole entirely alone until you see the doctor, so he or she will be able to tell what it is.  You are likely to find that it is an ordinary mole that can and should be left alone.

Good luck.

Dr. Rockoff