Hi Okerr,

Usually consultants prefer to give results, whether good or bad, face to face. This is because they also like to check that the surgical wound is healing OK. If the results are benign then they give advice re sun safety & how to check your moles. Sometimes the results show the mole isn't cancerous but it is dysplastic (atypical). This means that it's benign but it has the ability to turn cancerous in the future if left in-situ. In these cases they like to monitor the patient for a short time so they can check any other moles they have (those with dysplastic moles tend to have a lot of moles and there is always a chance that another one can turn dysplastic in the future). The third option is that the results could show the mole is melanoma which then necessitates further surgery to ensure they've removed a safe margin of tissue. 

So please don't assume that it's bad news - until you get there you won't know. Don't panic if it's melanoma - treatments now are much better than they once were.

Good luck & please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)