Ochanging Mole /Melanoma ?

We are not doctors.
I can tell you what I would do if I observed this on my child--make an appointment with the pediatrician.
Knowledge is power and always SO much better than uncertainty and terror.
Pick up the phone.

I had 2. One on my neck and one just under my left nostril that I was born with. As I got older they got bigger and changed colors but my mother said the doctor told her it was fine. I had them removed when I was in my early 20's because it bothered me when I wore necklaces and people thought the one under my nose was a bugger. Can you imagine dealing with that since childhood. Anyway they were both cancer free. It's good that you are taking her to her ped. Has her Ped ever mentioned the mole before? If not then they probably thought it was nothing to worry about. Good luck!!!

Visit the pediatrician. We can't answer this question. We're just moms on a website.

For having a mole checked I'd taker her to a dermatologist instead of a pediatrician.

I agree to take her to a dermatologist, after the ped. appt.

Definitely requires a doctor's expertise. Don't mess around with a changing mole, trying to guess yourself or by listening to moms here.

I had a mole that I was born with. It never changed per se, but when you saw classic examples of the "bad" moles it looked exactly like them. It bothered me, so I had a dermatologist check it out. His response was "eh, looks okay to me, but you don't need it. Let's cut it off!" So we did. He was right- I didn't need the mole, and even though it wasn't cancerous at that point, I don't have to worry about it any more!

I wouldn't waste my time with the ped- I would go to the dermatologist.

A friend of mine had a mole on her upper arm. As we grew up, it did grow and got a little less uniform. It also changed color from a tan to a reddish brown. It never got raised though. The doc checked it out and said it was fine, She also had it checked several years ago and they said it was not something to worry about but they could keep an eye on it.

Take it from an Oncology Nurse,

Good for you to get an appointment right away! ANY actively growing lesion, mole, cyst, dark spot is definitely a reason for concern and watching. I certainly would not dismiss this until checked out.

Melanoma does not have to have sun exposure. Many cases are on the bottoms of the feet and have even occurred in the groin and perineum of women. Skin cancers vary in severity and location, anywhere on the body.

Many strides have been made with cancer and treatment, but the key for cure is EARLY detection.

The good thing is, not all abnormal growths are cancer.

of course anything could be cancer.. but melanoma in an 8 year old is very rare..

but if you are concerned go to a dermatologist.. get a biopsy.. probably will hurt for a minute.. but not worse than a shot...

Go to dermatologist. Pediatricians cannot be an expert in all areas.

I have tons of weird moles and I've gone to the doc many times. Each time they ask my why I think it needs to be looked at. I say because it has changed shape and texture. They examine it and say it's nothing.

I've had a few moles removed, and my husband has had a lot of them taken off. He had one that sounds like what your daughter has - it sat there for years, and then all of a sudden started growing quite rapidly. It was uneven as well - almost looked like a tiny dark brown cauliflower (rough, and sort of blossoming). It was totally weird, I grant you, but it was nothing other than unsightly. None of our moles have been cancerous.

My guess is they won't biopsy it first, but will just remove it for the simple reason that it's growing - the pediatrician will probably send you to someone else but they will do it so it won't hurt her. They will most likely biopsy it afterwards as a matter of course. I know you'll worry, but I think melanoma is highly unlikely because the mole has always been there. It didn't occur because of sun exposure.

I'm not sure what causes them to kick off and start growing, but maybe it's the start of hormones increasing in her body? In any case, the vast majority of these moles are completely benign.

So you're doing the right thing in having her be seen, but I hope you won't panic. It's very unlikely that it's serious.

Good luck!

Unless your pediatrician also specializes in dermatology, they should refer your daughter to a dermatologist.

If you don't need a referral for insurance purposes or because of local procedure, I'd just go ahead and make that appointment without seeing the pediatrician.

Did it change suddenly, or has it been gradual over time?
My son was born with a mole/birth mark. It has gotten bigger over time, but every time the ped looks at it, he assures me that it hasn't grown, per se, but it's gotten bigger because his skin grows proportionally with the rest of his body, and so of course it's bigger than it was when he was born, just like his feet are bigger. But it was never a sudden change, just a gradual increase over time.

Your daughter's mark may be similar - although it's good you have an appt with the ped to make sure.