Hi,

I know this has come as a huge shock to you but let's try & dispel some of the Google stories first - Google is way out of date when it comes to melanoma & it's treatment so it just scares everyone senseless - don't do it except for respected websites like this one and Macmillan and the British Association of Dermatologists - these are up to date. 

Although it's freaked you out it's actually a good thing that the dermatologist removed it there & then, otherwise the waiting for removal can take a few weeks & the stress of waiting can be debilitating. Also, it means you are rid of it now which is a huge positive! 

75% of patients who get referred to a dermatologist get a clean bill of health so the odds are good. If, however, you are in the 25% that get a diagnosis of melanoma, it can still mean that it's early stage. Early stage patients have a 95% chance of never having any further problem. So it's not as bleak as Google would have you believe. Some moles that look nodular can actually be dysplastic (atypical) moles - they look bad but are actually benign, however they like to remove them because they have the ability to turn cancerous if left in situ. So you see, there are a few options as to what the biopsy results could find.

The good thing is that you now realise that sun worship (and sunbeds too) can raise the risk of skin cancer so, whatever the biopsy result, please be more careful in the sun from now on. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)