Had A Mole Biopsy, Told It Was Atypical; How Will I Know If It Turns Into Melanoma/Becomes Cancerous?

For an accurate diagnosis of an atypical mole, the biopsy should be read by a board certified dermatopathologist. In our office, we will do an excision with suture closure to get clear margins for all moles that have moderate to severe atypia. When that is done it is safe to say the mole has been completely removed and there is no possibility of anything being left to turn into a skin cancer. For a mildly atypical mole we will observe the area and, if any pigmentation recurs in the biopsy... more

Studies have shown that most skin cancers do not grow out of moles that are already present on your body - they start as new lesions. Therefore having atypical moles on your skin might be more of a marker for an increased risk of skin cancer. Sometimes, skin cancers can grow out of moles. If this happens, the mole typically begins to change. If your mole has been completely removed in your biopsy, I consider it to be gone and the risk of this mole changing to be no longer present. If a... more