New pinhead-sized mole on thumb-- not like the others...
April 21, 2015 1:02 PM Subscribe
This very dark, very tiny mole on my thumb has me in a tizzy. Is a month too long to wait to see a doctor?
Hello, last week I noticed a new pinhead-sized mark on my thumb that is so dark I thought at first it was a tiny scab and tried to pick it off, to no avail. It must be quite new as its in a spot I would see frequently (typing, painting nails, etc.). I am very fair, freckled, and have a few moles that I've had since childhood that I keep an eye on due to their very dark colour. This new one, while very small, is nearly black in colour. It looks like someone touched my thumb with a black ball-point pen. It is not raised. It stands out to me because it's a much darker shade than anything else on my body, my freckles are light to dark brown, and this one has a distinctive black/blue-ish tint. I am also 30, so a new mole at this age is a bit concerning.
My question is, how much should I worry about this? I called my dermatologists' office and after discussing this new, very dark spot, the receptionist still insisted the earliest appointment I could get is a month away. The earliest GP appointment I could get is also a month away.
Is a month too long to wait to have this looked at? My partner insists I am overreacting and should just wait, watch it, and then go to my appointments.
Is it way overkill to go to a walk-in clinic for something so small? Am I freaking out for no reason? Google has not been my friend in this. I think I am spinning myself into an anxiety attack after reading things online.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hello, last week I noticed a new pinhead-sized mark on my thumb that is so dark I thought at first it was a tiny scab and tried to pick it off, to no avail. It must be quite new as its in a spot I would see frequently (typing, painting nails, etc.). I am very fair, freckled, and have a few moles that I've had since childhood that I keep an eye on due to their very dark colour. This new one, while very small, is nearly black in colour. It looks like someone touched my thumb with a black ball-point pen. It is not raised. It stands out to me because it's a much darker shade than anything else on my body, my freckles are light to dark brown, and this one has a distinctive black/blue-ish tint. I am also 30, so a new mole at this age is a bit concerning.
My question is, how much should I worry about this? I called my dermatologists' office and after discussing this new, very dark spot, the receptionist still insisted the earliest appointment I could get is a month away. The earliest GP appointment I could get is also a month away.
Is a month too long to wait to have this looked at? My partner insists I am overreacting and should just wait, watch it, and then go to my appointments.
Is it way overkill to go to a walk-in clinic for something so small? Am I freaking out for no reason? Google has not been my friend in this. I think I am spinning myself into an anxiety attack after reading things online.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
If it isn't asymmetrical, doesn't have uneven borders, and isn't unevenly colored, my layman's guess is that it's probably safe to let it go a month. Kudos to you for getting it looked at ASAP, though!
This is just anecdata, but last month, my rescue cat who has only mostly been cured of biting took an enthusiastic chomp at the ball of my thumb when I wasn't quick enough to wake up and feed her. She broke the skin in one spot, and for some reason the scar hyperpigmented. So I now have a tiny, nearly black mark on my hand that looks exactly like a new mole or freckle.
posted by timeo danaos at 1:18 PM on April 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is just anecdata, but last month, my rescue cat who has only mostly been cured of biting took an enthusiastic chomp at the ball of my thumb when I wasn't quick enough to wake up and feed her. She broke the skin in one spot, and for some reason the scar hyperpigmented. So I now have a tiny, nearly black mark on my hand that looks exactly like a new mole or freckle.
posted by timeo danaos at 1:18 PM on April 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I doubt a walk-in clinic or your GP would be able to do much beyond tell you to go to the dermatologist.
Did you ask the receptionist at your derm's office to put you on the cancellations list? Sometimes that can get you in earlier.
posted by pie ninja at 1:19 PM on April 21, 2015
Did you ask the receptionist at your derm's office to put you on the cancellations list? Sometimes that can get you in earlier.
posted by pie ninja at 1:19 PM on April 21, 2015
For your own sense of security, you may want to get it looked at. However, I think it can probably wait for the doctor. Also, try doing a Google Images search for blood blisters on thumbsc/fingers - that's a very real possibility.
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:20 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:20 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
If the only reason you're concerned about it is that it's very dark, I don't think you need to be so concerned. Sounds like a blue nevus. Definitely a good idea to have it looked at, but unless it changes in size or appearance within the month, I don't think you need to be seen sooner.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 1:22 PM on April 21, 2015
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 1:22 PM on April 21, 2015
It might be a wart . The ones I get on my fingers look like this.
posted by brujita at 1:31 PM on April 21, 2015
posted by brujita at 1:31 PM on April 21, 2015
I'm Australian, so watching out for potential skin cancer is something that has been drilled into me since I was in primary school. I think that you'll be completely fine waiting a month until your appointment. Keep an eye on it in the meantime. If it changes in appearance (turns a different colour, becomes scaly etc) or starts to bleed, go to a walk in clinic. But I really wouldn't be that worried about it. I have one single mole on my shoulder that is pretty much black. I went to a skin mapping place recently and the doctor found nothing that he was concerned about.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 1:33 PM on April 21, 2015
posted by kinddieserzeit at 1:33 PM on April 21, 2015
Take a picture of it today. Wait a few days, take the same picture again. (From the same angle, with the same lighting, etc). Repeat in a few more days.
That way you can really see if it's growing (unlikely). If it *is* changing on that time scale, that's good info to give the doc (and maybe in a hurry).
Another option if taking a picture from the same angle is tough- put scotch tape over it, trace the mole, and put it on an index card. label with the date. repeat. Same deal- if it is getting noticeably bigger over the time scale of a couple weeks, ok, then concern is warranted.
posted by nat at 1:36 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
That way you can really see if it's growing (unlikely). If it *is* changing on that time scale, that's good info to give the doc (and maybe in a hurry).
Another option if taking a picture from the same angle is tough- put scotch tape over it, trace the mole, and put it on an index card. label with the date. repeat. Same deal- if it is getting noticeably bigger over the time scale of a couple weeks, ok, then concern is warranted.
posted by nat at 1:36 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
I think you've done the right thing by calling your dermatologist, and I suspect a month will turn out fine. None of us can 100% allay your fears, but I'll share my personal experience with something very similar sounding and how it's turned out.
About a decade ago I had a tiny dark brown dot show up on my right palm, which freaked me out, because suddenly appearing moles on the palms/soles of feet is a common characteristic of melanoma, and precancerous moles are a thing in my family. I went to a dermatologist, who was largely unconcerned, but said that given the guidelines on palms/soles and randomly appearing moles, she'd be happy to remove it for me. But the idea of having a scar on my perfectly unscarred palm at age 19 also freaked me out, so I opted to wait and see if it grew.
It didn't really grow so much as diffuse/fade: here's a picture of what it looks like now (on the right), next to my best ballpoint pen recreation of what it looked like to start with on the left (the black spot). Eventually it lost its novelty and I stopped thinking about it for a while, but two years ago I went back to a dermatologist and asked about it - did the fading mean it now had "irregular borders"? Should I be concerned about how it had changed?
I got a pretty resounding "no, this is fine, don't worry about it" from both the dermatology resident and his training supervisor (woo, teaching hospital), who pointed out that skin pigmentation spots do change over time, so I shouldn't be worried about things getting slightly bigger over a 10-year timespan. In retrospect that seems obvious, but I've had the ABCDs of skin cancer so drilled into my head that I'd gotten a little paranoid about any change.
But in your case, you do have a sudden change, even if it doesn't sound like a terribly high risk one. So do take a good close up picture; being able to show what it looked like a month ago to your dermatologist will be helpful.
posted by deludingmyself at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
About a decade ago I had a tiny dark brown dot show up on my right palm, which freaked me out, because suddenly appearing moles on the palms/soles of feet is a common characteristic of melanoma, and precancerous moles are a thing in my family. I went to a dermatologist, who was largely unconcerned, but said that given the guidelines on palms/soles and randomly appearing moles, she'd be happy to remove it for me. But the idea of having a scar on my perfectly unscarred palm at age 19 also freaked me out, so I opted to wait and see if it grew.
It didn't really grow so much as diffuse/fade: here's a picture of what it looks like now (on the right), next to my best ballpoint pen recreation of what it looked like to start with on the left (the black spot). Eventually it lost its novelty and I stopped thinking about it for a while, but two years ago I went back to a dermatologist and asked about it - did the fading mean it now had "irregular borders"? Should I be concerned about how it had changed?
I got a pretty resounding "no, this is fine, don't worry about it" from both the dermatology resident and his training supervisor (woo, teaching hospital), who pointed out that skin pigmentation spots do change over time, so I shouldn't be worried about things getting slightly bigger over a 10-year timespan. In retrospect that seems obvious, but I've had the ABCDs of skin cancer so drilled into my head that I'd gotten a little paranoid about any change.
But in your case, you do have a sudden change, even if it doesn't sound like a terribly high risk one. So do take a good close up picture; being able to show what it looked like a month ago to your dermatologist will be helpful.
posted by deludingmyself at 1:46 PM on April 21, 2015 [3 favorites]
Stage IV melanoma patient here.
As timeo danaos pointed out, it's probably safe to let it go a month. The mnemonic for melanoma is ABCDE.
Asymmetry
Borders (irregular)
Color (variegated)
Diameter (greater than 6 mm (0.24 in), about the size of a pencil eraser)
Evolving over time
It doesn't appear your mole exhibits these symptoms so I think you should feel safe waiting a month to see the doctor, at least from the skin cancer perspective.
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 1:50 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
As timeo danaos pointed out, it's probably safe to let it go a month. The mnemonic for melanoma is ABCDE.
Asymmetry
Borders (irregular)
Color (variegated)
Diameter (greater than 6 mm (0.24 in), about the size of a pencil eraser)
Evolving over time
It doesn't appear your mole exhibits these symptoms so I think you should feel safe waiting a month to see the doctor, at least from the skin cancer perspective.
posted by ElDiabloConQueso at 1:50 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
A month actually sounds great. It's small enough that a doctor would likely disregard it, but if it's bothering you, that means you need to pay attention to the other signs (changing, bleeding, weirdness) that might indicate something more serious. Take its picture now and every week until your appointment, so you'll have more information to answer the doctor's questions better.
posted by aimedwander at 3:24 PM on April 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by aimedwander at 3:24 PM on April 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I had 3 stage3 pre-cancerous moles removed when I was 9, so I'm pretty paranoid too. Last time I saw a dermatologist (a new one) he showed me his photo reference of all different kinds of moles that were actually problematic. It was SUCH an eye opener to have a proper reference of what the medical community really means by "asymmetric" etc. and to sit with him and look through it and ask questions. It is so so worth it if you can find someone willing to do this with you. None of my moles looked like that, and I feel more more confident about what to look out for.
nthing the possibilty of a tiny blood blister. I gave myself one last weekend, and that's exactly what it looks like!
posted by jrobin276 at 4:01 PM on April 21, 2015
nthing the possibilty of a tiny blood blister. I gave myself one last weekend, and that's exactly what it looks like!
posted by jrobin276 at 4:01 PM on April 21, 2015
Response by poster: Wow, thank you so much, everyone! This has really allayed my fears, and I feel more in control. I'm going to follow all of your advice and photograph/measure it consistently until my appointment and keep my eye out for any noticeable changes. I can't quite tell if it is in fact a blood blister as its so small, but from the google images I looked at it looks slightly different only because it appears to be on the surface of my skin, not underneath. But, that could still be what it is. I hadn't even considered that. Many thanks!
@deludingmyself, thank you so much for the image, that is so helpful. That's indeed what it currently looks like. Really appreciate you sharing that.
posted by hollypolly at 5:00 PM on April 21, 2015
@deludingmyself, thank you so much for the image, that is so helpful. That's indeed what it currently looks like. Really appreciate you sharing that.
posted by hollypolly at 5:00 PM on April 21, 2015
Sure thing. I wish I had a useful term you can look up for it, but I'm pretty sure everyone just shrugged and said "yep, melanocytic nevus," which is dermatologist for "why yes, you DO have a pigmented spot!"
Wishing you a similarly benign outcome.
posted by deludingmyself at 6:03 PM on April 21, 2015
Wishing you a similarly benign outcome.
posted by deludingmyself at 6:03 PM on April 21, 2015
Also, that link has my new favorite example of tortuously understated doctor-speak ever in the Differential Diagnosis tab:"Overdiagnosis can prompt detailed and unwarranted clinical investigation of the patient, can provoke patient anxiety with respect to longevity, and can trigger unnecessary surgery, including reexcision and lymph node sampling."
posted by deludingmyself at 6:08 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by deludingmyself at 6:08 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
The number in Montreal is 811. Telehealth Ontario has a toll-free number.
If you're not in Canada, or if you're in a different province, maybe your region has a similar system?
Also, FYI, I went to my dermo this afternoon to have her look at a mole that is more suspicious than the one you describe, and she looked at it closely, measured it, and asked me to return in three weeks. I gather than rate of change is a big factor. IANAD.
So--unless you are advised otherwise--why not take a photo, measure it & record the measurement, and then check again in a week to see if there are changes?
posted by monkeymonkey at 1:15 PM on April 21, 2015 [3 favorites]