mole. possibly melanoma

[Sickdude54321]

well, i'm no expert, but i have a small, raised, mole on my upper right arm. it is the color of dark chocolate and is about the size of this letter 'O'. the reason i am worried is because i am a redhead with pale white skin, and this is my only mole.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From the description,it sounds like a mole. Moles are growths on the skin that are usually brown or black. Moles occur when cells in the skin grow in a cluster instead of being spread throughout the skin. These cells are called melanocytes, and they make the pigment that gives skin its natural color.

On the other hand melanoma has an irregular border,asymmetrical,uneven color and increasing in size. If you notice changes in the mole's color, height, size or shape, you should have a dermatologist evaluate it. You also should have moles checked if they bleed, ooze, itch, appear scaly, or become tender or painful.Otherwise they should be left as such.

Hope it helps .Take care and pls do keep us posted in case you have any additional queries.Kind regards

[Pum]

If it is even coloured and has even edges and you have had it a while and it's not changing then most likely it's just a mole. Some of us have lots of them so one is going to be easy to keep an eye on.

Take care.