Advice on Weird Looking Mole

Hello, I am a healthy (I hope!) 26 year old woman who has recently gone to the doctors regarding a mole on my arm which I have had since I was a little girl. perhaps even from birth. 

I caught the mole when changing around 6 months ago, and the mole was sore for a little bit, bled a tiny amount and then healed fine. 

Around a week ago, I noticed that where the mole has healed over, it has appeared to form a small lump on the upper left part of the mole, similar to the appearance of a skin tag on top of the mole. 

I went to the doctor three days ago, and they took a picture on a phone camera to send to the teledermatologist. They said I should hear back from them within 2-3 weeks whether to come in for a biopsy or monitor it for further changes. They said it doesn't look like anything to worry about - but mentioned it did look a slightly different colour - but this could be a scab from where I'm potentially catching the mole.

I have quite severe anxiety, and when everything else is my life is going well, my mind latches onto the worst such as melanoma. Even though I know the chances are tiny, I still keep worrying.

I wanted to reach out to firstly find out if it's common for a mole to grow back weirdly after catching it / if a mole can grow as you age and still be benign ? (I appreciate you can't definitively say if it's ok - I am just looking for some comfort with best case scenarios I suppose).

Also, if the dermatologist comes back saying it looks fine and to monitor it, am I allowed to politely request a second opinion and push for it to be biopsied ? I don't want to be demanding or rude, but I just feel if I don't have it biopsied, with my health anxiety this worry won't go away... as I know a picture cannot rule everything out. 

Sorry for the ridiculously long message. I really appreciate any advice or support you can give me ! 

  • Hello Cait112 and thank you for posting,

    I am sorry to learn that you have anxiety and have a mole that is causing you concern.

    This must be a very difficult time for you.

    The majority of moles develop in childhood but you can develop new non cancerous moles throughout your adult life.

    All you can do is sit tight until you hear back from the hospital. See what they say, hopefully everything is OK and you are able to get reassurance. It helps to be clear to the doctor about your anxiety if you are not feeling reassured and you could discuss if there is an option of having the mole removed. If you are not confident about what has been said you can speak to your GP about a second opinion.

    I can appreciate this period of uncertainty is very hard and I hope you have friends and family you can lean on for support.

    I hope this reply helps in some way, if you would like to talk things through with one of our nurses we are available Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday and the freephone number to call is 0808 800 4040.

    Take care,

    Jemma