worried about melanoma - new spot

[andi333]

I am a 37 year old white female with fair skin, blue eyes, several burns as a child and my mother was diagnosed with melanoma at age 59. I saw a dermatologist six weeks ago for a mole check and he saw nothing of concern. About a week or two ago I noticed a very dark, almost black, roundish, blister-like, but not fluid filled (seemed solid) bump(about 2-3mm)on the back of my hand. It looked very distinct from the skin around it. It must have cropped up very suddenly and couldn't have been there for more than a couple days without me noticing it. Previously there was nothing evident at the site except possibly a freckle - definitly nothing that I noticed. Anyway, I sort of picked at it and pulled it off. The wound bled slightly and a day or two later I noticed that the scab (3mm) had a very dark, almost black center (1.5mm) Well, now today I pulled off the scab and there seems to be healthy skin underneath but there is still a very tiny speck of a dark spot in the middle of the place where the scab came off.
One more thing, I have a new puppy who has mouthed my hand with his tiny needle-like puppy teeth, but the "bump" I described did not look like any scratch or anything I have seen before.
I am very worried about melanoma and wish I would have shown this to my doctor before picking at it. Would you be concerned? What does it sound like to you?

[andi333]

Clarification - the solid-seeming "bump" I described in the previous question was raised above the plane of the skin - like 3/5 of a sphere.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I would not be concerned.  Spots that appear suddenly are invariably the result of trauma or inflammation.  Given the visible location--the back of your hand--there is no way this could have been overlooked at your dermatology visit.  Besides, the appearance of healthy skin underneath fits a scab, not a mole.  I approve your puppy hypothesis.  Picking didn't harm anything.  Just apply bacitracin daily, leave the spot alone, and if it disappears in a couple of Weeks, which it is likely to do, just forget about it.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff