Concerns about a mole

Try not to worry too much Anniebach (I know... you’re her mother and it’s what we do!) but my husband had one on his back a few years ago which he had removed and all was well. Hopefully it will be with your daughter too x

Not all moles are nasty. The GP is the person to speak to and if he/she thinks that it needs removing, in this case, not for any reason other than irritation by clothing then it can usually be removed at the surgery.

I've had 2 or 3 removed in the past, but because I'm older, 2 of them were the slow-growing skin cancers ( BCC's ) which are on the surface of the skin and aren't invasive. Removal was quick and painless and the area healed in no time.
I'd known they'd been present for about 30 years !

Please don't worry Annie x

Thank you.

Her GP said he will refer her to see someone, she just said to me she will go through BUPA. She didn’t say anymore, didn’t want to talk about it.

Her husband is abroad and she is so isolated, I will have to wait until she chooses to tell me more.

Good thing you are sharing this Anniebach, to ease your mind.

Clearly there is a question mark or the medics would leave well alone, but they are very good at removing "moles" now, just in case.

They will test it, and chances are it is benign, but even if it isn't, once it has been removed all should be well, and all worry gone.

My daughter and husband both had moles relived from their backs. Both were fine. Doctors will refer patients to a skin client to remove moles but usually it is nothing to be concerned about. It's a very good thing that it is being checked. I know it is hard but try not to worry.

I've had a couple of moles removed Anniebach - often they will be removed if the doctor thinks they might get rubbed by clothing, which can cause problems (one of mine was under my bra strap ) Try not to worry - moles are so 'obvious' that they rarely get a chance to become problematical.

I was referred and it was nothing to worry about. GP’s aren’t specialists and they refer in case.
My cousin also got referred and hers was malignant and they cut it out and that was the end of it - never spread, never came back - about 15 yrs ago now.

I had a big, nasty looking, mole removed from my back when I was in my thirties. The doctor was sure it was a melanoma. It was harmless, but had been irritated by my bra. Recently I had a sore in my chin that wouldn’t heal. It was a BCC and there was a 14 month wait for a first appointment to be seen so I took out a loan to go privately. It’s just a well that I did because it was a rare noduloinfiltrative BCC which would have spread. I had five inches cut out of my face. Your daughter hopefully will have a mole like mine. Nasty ones are less common on the back it’s usually the legs. Don’t worry too much. At least she’s going to be evaluated soon.

So sorry you have this extra worry Annie. You are obviously worried about the possibility of a melanoma, the other skin cancers don't spread and just need removal to cure them. The incidence of melanoma is very small, less that 30 in 100,000 for someone your daughter's age I would think, so try to keep that in mind.

Your daughter is naturally worried and doesn't want to talk about it until she knows what it is, I think I would be the same. If she can go through BUPA it will speed up treatment and in a couple of weeks this could all be over.

But if you are like me, of course you are going to worry like mad until you hear further, feel free to let it all out on here. Our thoughts will be with you, come back and update us when you can?

I've had 2 miles removed from my face . Both being bcc's so harmless.
My sister had one that turned out to be a bit more sinister on her back and they removed it but after the 6 week waiting period (in the labs to see how /if the culture grew so they knew what it was) She had to have further surgery to remove deeper tissue . All was well after that with no further treatment of any sort.

Annie from the replies the odds are that your daughter will be ok, I hope so.
My DiL had some moles on her back and we were all very worried until the results came that they were harmless.
But it was a lesson, to her especially, as they live in a hot country (Kuwait) and she loved to swim in the sea. She covered up more after that.

Oh Annie worry you don't need.
At least your daughter will be seen quickly and she will know what she is up against. The odds are it is not something serious but I know you will worry all the same.
Sending hugs

Your daughter is quite right to go through BUPA, I've recently had a BCC removed and it was a year of waiting, despite being told it was 18 weeks. If it had been anything more serious I would have been in trouble.

DH grew up in East Africa and has had a few moles removed. All benign.
DM also had one removed from her face. Malignant but once it had gone that was it.
Try not to worry (vain hope).

Thank you all, I am so grateful, I will not google about it, there was no one to speak to so again I turned to you.

It was a shock yesterday and such mixed emotions, fear for her and selfishly the thought ‘please God don’t let me lose both my darling daughters’, only year snd 7 months since my
darling elder daughter died.

I must be positive, your replies have helped so much x

I had one on my back, the GP did one of those ‘within two weeks’ referrals to the hospital. The consultant spent a long time looking at everything and anything that could be suspicious and pronounced me clear of any nasties. Lovely feeling. I hope the same for your daughter Anniebach

Oh Annie, so sorry to hear this, you will be very worried, BUT whatever it is the consultant will reassure that’s it’s benign and/or remove it. My dear old dad had three rodent moles removed, they are potentially cancerous, but not if removed early. Your daughter is going early, it will be dealt with. Sending love.

I'd gone with a dodgy mole that had just appeared from nowhere. My GP sent me on the 2 week urgent referral. Got seen and had it removed within a month. Nothing to worry about. But it's quite natural to worry. That's what Mums do.

So sorry to hear that you've lost a beloved daughter. The worst loss any of us can face.

I won't say 'don't worry' because of course you will worry, Anniebach but doctors today use an abundance of caution when it comes to moles. They refer on to a specialist because it's better to be safe than sorry. I hope your daughter gets a good response asap.

Doctors often refer people with skin blemishes for an expert opinion, just as a precaution. I had one checked out a while back, and it was innocuous. It's highly likely that your daughter's is completely harmless too, so try not to worry. As they say, "Never trouble trouble 'til trouble troubles you!"

Your post reminded me of a shop I saw, quite a long time ago, when visiting my family in Australia. On the window it said, "Have your moles tracked." I am a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, and said to my daughter, "I didn't know that you had any moles over here, and why would you want to track them anyway?" She was very amused at the mental picture of someone crawling down an underground tunnel, complete with magnifying glass, tracking a mole." For obvious reasons Aussies have now become very aware of sun damage causing skin cancers, and get them checked out as soon as they notice any blemishes or changes to existing moles.
I hope that your daughter quickly gets the all-clear, and puts your mind at rest.

My niece had a mole on her shoulder removed last year which looked a little suspicious and proved to be pre cancerous, but all is well, thankfully. She didn’t require any further treatment on the area once it was removed, just had to have a few checkups to make sure all was well. I hope this offers you some reassurance, * Annie*.

One of my then teenage daughters had a small mole just where her bra fastened and it irritated.
I took her to GP who excised it there and then (obvs, after prepping the area) and put one stitch in.
All fine and virtually invisible mark.

I hope your daughter's mole turns out not to be a worry.

If you want someone to talk to about it you could ring the CRUK or MCS freephone lines. They are happy to talk to anyone with concerns / worries, they are there to offer support regardless of person or diagnosis