Hi,

I know it's confusing but I hope I can answer your question.

We are told to keep an eye on changes to our moles and seek medical assessment because we are 'the first line of defence' when it comes to catching melanoma early. It's then up to the dermatologist to check the suspicious mole and they do this usually with a dermascope which shows them any changes in the cell structure of the mole. If there are no cell changes the mole is fine. About 75% of patients seen by dermatology don't have melanoma - many moles are benign whilst some are atypical (also known as dysplastic) - these look dodgy but are fine. In fact, people with more than 100 moles tend to have a few dysplastic moles.

So you are correct to seek medical assessment if you have a mole that's changed but it doesn't always mean it's changed because it's cancerous. Keep an eye on your moles and if you want further reassurance (especially having so many moles) consider getting the Skin Vision app which will tell you if a particular mole needs checking out.

I hope this helps,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)