Hi,

Is it a new mole or one you've had for years that's changed? Are you under 40 years old? It's not unusual for new moles to appear when young but they are more suspicious over the age of 40. Neither is it unusual for them to disappear ie. dry up and fall off. However, they should always be checked, just in case they look suspicious. It's good that you are arranging to speak to your GP. If they think it needs further investigation they will refer you to a dermatologist - usually under the 2 week rule but it doesn't mean it's definitely cancer, it just needs checking by the experts.

75% of patients that see the dermatologist are given a clean bill of health so get it checked & hopefully it will be fine. Good luck & please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)

Hi, thankyou for the reply, it's an existing mole, it's grown gone red and swollen and crusty now, I'm 31 and just so nervous as I have a small child and my Nan had skin cancer. My anxiety is threw the roof. Just praying it's nothing serious. 

You've caught it early and that's half the battle if it turns out to be skin cancer. Early stage melanoma is very treatable and 95% of patients have no further problems once it's been removed. Try not to stress and don't Google as the information is old and only focuses on worse case scenarios.

Was your nan's skin cancer melanoma or was is basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma? If it was one of the latter ones then there is no connection with your mole - these type aren't genetic but are only caused by UV damage. Melanoma can either be caused by UV damage or it's genetic - the latter is less common, probably about 20% of melanoma cases are genetic.

I hope you get an appointment quickly so that the wait (which is the worst part of all this) isn't too long.

Angie x