Question:
I'm thinking of seeing a doctor ASAP concerning a rash of
moles that have begun to pop up on my body. These are small,
almost pin-needle tip sized raised moles that are a very dark
brown, and I find them appearing mostly on my chest. I'm
very fair-skinned, and I stay out of the sunlight as much as
I possibly can. So, I find it weird that, even though I stay
out of the sun's harmful rays, I am still developing these
annoying things. One particular one that scares me is what looks
to me an unraised mole. It's about the size of the end of
a pencil eraser, but it's flat and light brown. I really hate
the look of it, and wonder how and why it's there. It's been
on my chest about the past 6 years. I'm a male, by the way.
I'd just like to find out what is making these annoying
things crop up all over my chest in recent years, and especially
within the past 1 year. I'm beginning to fear melanoma, but
will refrain from paranoia until I get a doctor's diagnosis.
Answer:
Melanoma *USUALLY* appears as a larger, highly irregular-shaped blemish
with a highly variable redish or dark-red color. It's sort of "amoeba-
shaped" i.e. almost any irregular shape.
However, having said that, I would also urge you to have a dermatologist
look at the growths that concern you and biopsy them. If *YOU* are
worried, *INSIST* on a lab biopsy, because some melanomas are atypical
and dermatologists have been known to occasionally dismiss one as
"insignficant", or so I have heard.
Melanoma is often fast-moving, so you should see your dermatologist sooner
rather than later if you have any doubt.
