I was just diagnoised with Stage 1 melanoma in late November. I asked my doctor to look at a mole on my forearm that I had for quite some time. At first glance he was not concerned because it really didn't exhibit much of the tell tale traits. Upon closer examination he said it was probably a Basal cell carcenoma. He recommended that it be removed. He took it off in the office and sent it in. It came back as melanoma in the early stages. This past Thursday I had a larger area excised surgically. I am awaiting the results of the biopsy to see if they got it all. You need to be your own advocate. My advise is don't wait, have it removed and find out for sure especially if your doctor recommeds it. The procedure for this can be done by your doctor in his office and is relatively painless. The incision is small requiring only a few stitches. The wound heals quickly and leaves only a very small scar. For peace of mind I highly recommend it.
