Mole Excision - Nervous

Hi, I had a appointment with my GP just before covid due to a skin condition i was having. I then had a telephone dermotology appointment so discussed this with the Dr and whilst I was on the phone i mentioned i had a mole in my groin/hip area that felt more like a 'scab' and as he couldn't see it clearly and the photos wasn't suffient he put me on a TWW appointment, as my Dad had skin cancer 2 years ago.

 

10 days ago I went to the appointment at the hospital, we discussed my skin condition (as this is still ongoing) and she asked about 'the mole' so I shown her and she told me to undress so she could check my body. She then said 'it was definetly an ugly duckling in comparison' When she looked at it with the dermoscope she said 'I want that removed today if possible and if you don't mind. I'm not sure if I like the look of it.' So she walked me down to theatre and I had it removed and the margin they cut was quite alot bigger than the mole itself. I ended up with internal stitches plus external stitches which I have had removed today. She said she wanted to see me in 8 weeks to check how i was and to give results.

 

I received the letter that gets sent to the gp and it says 'she had a 3mm x 2mm atypical compound melanocytic naevus on her right lower abdomen which macroscopically looked atypical in that it was oval but with a paler pole. on dermoscopy the pigment was more evenly distributed except for a round pale area at the lower edge' 

 

I'm just abit worried about it all and anxiously waiting for my results. Has anyone had similar and had good news?

  • Hi,

    I know how worrying this is but please try not to stress about it. It sounds like they think it's an atypical (dysplastic) naevus. These are benign but look dodgy. They like to remove them for biopsy to ensure they have the correct diagnosis and because, if they are left, they have the potential to turn cancerous at some time in the future. 

    The size of the mole means that the normal excess tissue they remove meant a larger surgical wound. This is to ensure it's all been removed. If it is atypical it's nothing to worry about  but you will need to keep an eye on all your moles in the future because there is a higher risk of another mole becoming atypical.

    I haven't had any, my mole was melanoma, however my brother, niece and nephew have all had several atypical moles removed over the years and they are fine.

    Good luck with the results and please let us know how you get on.

    Angie

  • Thanks for your reply Angie.

     

    I think it's worried me because I wasn't expecting to be walked down to theatre the same day and I can't describe the Dr's facial expression she just said 'she wasn't sure and she didn't like the look of it' 

     

    I am quite good when it comes to keeping check on my moles, especially after my Dad had cancer a few years ago. I had one removed on my neck as it was sore but they said because it was on my necklace line it was best to remove it as it would always get irritated. This time was a bit of a shock as I thought they was just going to say 'ahh it's fine just keep an eye on it' as it was small in comparison to the amount of skin they removed. 

     

    That's great to know that it's not always bad news. I suppose it's just a waiting game for the results now. Just have to keep everything crossed as if it was a bad one I'm not sure what would happen from then? Would that be is as they removed the whole mole and a margin? 

     

    Vic