Hey Ozzycarp, 

I noticed you haven't had a reply just yet so I wanted to quickly stop by to reassure you that your post has been seen.

Waiting for results and coming across more moles that may be pre-cancerous must be very stressful but our community are here for you Ozzycarp and hopefully some of our members who have been in a similar situation will share their experiences and advice with you soon.

I can't answer your question about dermascopes but our team of cancer nurses may be able to help. If you'd like to speak to them about this, and talk through any other worries or concerns you have about your moles, you can give them a call on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m. They're very insightful and they will do all they can to answer your questions and put your mind at ease whilst you wait.

In the meantime, we're sending you all our support and we'll have our fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Kind regards,

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Ozzycarp,

The dermascope isn't used as a diagnosis tool but as an investigative/triage tool. The images they provide help the consultant decide if the cells look normal, therefore benign, and the patient can be discharged. If the cells are unusual or definitely appear cancerous, the consultant will arrange removal so that they can definitively diagnose whether it's precancerous (dysplastic/atypical) or malignant. A removal for biopsy is the only diagnostic tool used for melanoma.

Anyone with a dysplastic mole is always at risk of having another - a patient with melanoma is always at risk at having another melanoma or a dysplastic mole. The good thing is that, if they are dysplastic, they've been caught early. The patient can then keep an eye on any other moles so that they can be caught early, which is what you are doing.

Until you know what your pending results show, your consultant is quite right to ask you to wait. If they are correct and the results show the mole was precancerous, there is no urgency to get your other moles removed as the chances are they will also be precancerous or benign. Get the results & then see the dermatologist at the NHS referral for the other moles that are concerning you. A wait of 3 weeks isn't going to make the outcome any worse, please believe me. 

I hope your mum is doing fine. It's extra worrying when a close relative has melanoma but the chances of it being genetic is 10%. I have a brother, niece & nephew who have had dysplastic moles but I'm the only one who has melanoma. The positive to take from this is that, because of your mum's melanoma, you are now skin aware and are being proactive, so the chances of finding anything early is much higher.

Good luck with your results & your NHS appointment. Please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)