Is This a Benign or Malignant Mole, and Would Removing It Leave a Scar? (photo)

To be safe, you should be carefully evaluated by a board certified dermatologist. Please use the ABCDE's as your guide for when to be concerned about moles: A for Asymmetry; B for Irregular Borders; C for Black or uneven Colors; D for diameter greater than a pencil eraser; and E for a growth...

A biopsy, whether shave or excisional, is performed in order to determine whether anything further needs to be done. If the biopsy is read as benign, then generally nothing further needs to be done. If the biopsy is read as malignant or atypical, then generally further surgery is performed....

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...