Hi Betsy,

Dermatologists come in all shapes & sizes when it comes to what they say to the patient. Many of them 'sit on the shelf' and don't say, one way or the other, what they think it might be & they are correct to do that because, until it's removed and a biopsy undertaken, there is no way for anyone to give a definitive diagnosis of a dodgy looking mole. You may get the odd dermatologist (like mine) that has many years of experience & that knows the patient well (I was under her for many years) & they may tell you if they think it's melanoma but with the caveat that only the biopsy can know for sure.

An atypical mole is also known as dysplastic or precancerous. Many moles are atypical & the more moles a person has (100+) the more chance of having an atypical mole. These are also know as ugly ducklings because they look dodgy so it's harder to tell if it's melanoma or atypical. That's why they always remove them, to be absolutely sure & because if they leave them, they have the ability to become malignant in the future.

Try not to beat yourself up about checking it out sooner - we all make mistakes - I left mine for a year but I'm still here, many years later. Try to take one step at a time or your anxiety will end up worse than the mole diagnosis. Keep busy and distracted until the excision surgery and then again whilst awaiting the results. Good luck with the surgery & please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)