Hi Haymil,

Please try not to over think your mole. If you've had it for years and the only change it's showing is itching, there is a very good chance it's fine and it may be something simple that's causing the skin to itch in that area (have you changed any cleaning or cosmetic items you use on your skin as it may be a slight allergic reaction)? Itching alone isn't necessarily a sign of malignancy.

It's good that you are speaking to your GP - they will probably ask you to send them a couple of your photos for them to look at. If they aren't sure about it they will either send the photos to a dermatologist for their advice or they will refer you to dermatology. There is a good chance though that the dermatologist will think it looks fine. You may be asked by your GP or a dermatologist to monitor the mole over a few weeks, perhaps taking a photo every week to show if there are any subtle changes. So until you've spoken to your GP don't take anymore photos, unless it changes drastically before Wednesday.

75% of patients referred to dermatology are given a clean bill of health so try not to focus on the worse case scenario because there is a very high chance it's not going to happen. Stop looking on Google - the images don't reflect the differences between a benign mole, a dysplastic (pre-cancerous) mole and a malignant mole. The information is also a year or two behind the times - it doesn't give updated treatment details regarding new treatments and the success they are beginning to show, so it's not a true reflection of moles & melanoma these days. 

Try to distract yourself until Wednesday - you can't change anything and worrying about something that might never happen will make the anxiety worse than the problem. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)

Hi Haymil,

Please try not to over think your mole. If you've had it for years and the only change it's showing is itching, there is a very good chance it's fine and it may be something simple that's causing the skin to itch in that area (have you changed any cleaning or cosmetic items you use on your skin as it may be a slight allergic reaction)? Itching alone isn't necessarily a sign of malignancy.

It's good that you are speaking to your GP - they will probably ask you to send them a couple of your photos for them to look at. If they aren't sure about it they will either send the photos to a dermatologist for their advice or they will refer you to dermatology. There is a good chance though that the dermatologist will think it looks fine. You may be asked by your GP or a dermatologist to monitor the mole over a few weeks, perhaps taking a photo every week to show if there are any subtle changes. So until you've spoken to your GP don't take anymore photos, unless it changes drastically before Wednesday.

75% of patients referred to dermatology are given a clean bill of health so try not to focus on the worse case scenario because there is a very high chance it's not going to happen. Stop looking on Google - the images don't reflect the differences between a benign mole, a dysplastic (pre-cancerous) mole and a malignant mole. The information is also a year or two behind the times - it doesn't give updated treatment details regarding new treatments and the success they are beginning to show, so it's not a true reflection of moles & melanoma these days. 

Try to distract yourself until Wednesday - you can't change anything and worrying about something that might never happen will make the anxiety worse than the problem. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply ️