mole on upper arm with black dot... melanoma?

[diddy123]

Hi,

Recently, I discovered a mole on the upper part of my left arm, near my shoulder.  It is round and has seven tiny dots surrounding the bottom half; on the top half, there is a black dot (it looks pretty much like someone poked me with a pencil, except a bit darker).  It looks like someone poked me with a pencil.  The mole has been there for a while; however, I don't recall whether or not the dot has always been there (the dot has the tiniest little straight-line trail to it, extending to about the middle of the mole).  The mole is 3 mm in diameter; borders appear regular and it is not asymmetrical.  The area where the black dot feels elevated upon touch; the other areas of the mole feel flat.

Any idea as to what this is?  I have a dermotalogist appointment Wed. but am starting to get very worried.  Worst case scenario - if this was melanoma and had been there for a while, could it be at Stage III/IV yet, or would the horizontal size need to be bigger?  Also, it appears to be in a relatively dangerous spot - slightly below the shoulder on the arm, on the side area of the arm (in close proximity to the armpit).  Any help would eb greatly appreciated, thanks.

[diddy123]

Thanks for the quick reply (didn't realize you'd be working on Sundays!).  Any idea what the dot could be from the description?  Inspecting closely, it's about the size of the pores on my arms that hair grows out of; could this be an ingrown hair?  Could it be a blackhead (from what I've read, though, blackheads wouldn't have a raised surface - this does)?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I'd be willing to bet that it's nothing more than a mole.  Moles often develop some degree of pigment irregularity.  I'm glad you're seeing a doctor, since an examination and possible biopsy would make sense.  But again, your description doesn't sound very worrisome at all.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff

[diddy123]

If it helps in the description any, the raised dot is located on the upper edge of the mole, and appears to be approximately the size of the other hair dots on my arm.