Theresa D

I'm a 20-something white female and I went to a dermatologist for the first time today to get a skin check. I don't have a family history of skin cancer and I've only had a couple, not serious, sunburns my whole life, but I did have a couple new moles I wanted to get checked out and figured I should at least get a baseline exam done for future reference. When I showed the new moles to her she said that they were normal, but then she saw a mole that I've had my entire life and said that I should get it removed. I asked if it was anything serious and she said that I shouldn't be worried but still get it removed since there was some discoloration around the borders and it is not symmetrical. The mole is a little smaller than a dime, dark brown and has never changed a bit since I first noticed it as a young kid.

The edges were a little red, but I'm wondering if could be caused by friction and chaffing due to the mole being right in the crease where my underwear/bathing suit sits. Can cancer form in a mole that you've always had? I will definitely get the mole removed if it's dangerous, but I'm not feeling 100% informed by my dermatologist. She just had me set up an appointment to get it removed and left since it was the end of my appointment and I, of course, didn't think of these questions when I was sitting in the chair. I've since emailed her to hopefully get her answers for my above questions but I would appreciate more opinions on the matter. Thanks - Theresa