• This page includes additional information for our patients who have attended our clinic and are given a link to this page for more information.

• The information is only intended to be used in conjunction with the advice from your treating doctor.
• A “High Risk Mole” is a lesion with suspicious features, with increased risk of being a melanoma.

Possible results include:

Melanoma

• Least common but a very serious form of skin cancer.
• Potentially fatal if left untreated.
• Early detection and treatment of early melanoma can lead to a 98% cure rate
• Early melanoma can look like dysplastic naevi or an irregular benign mole.  The only way to distinguish them is by taking a biopsy and examining the lesion under a microscope.

Dysplastic naevus

• A higher risk mole associated with increased melanoma risk.
• The higher the number of dysplastic naevi, the greater the risk of developing melanoma.
• Some require further treatment.

Irritated or regressing naevus

• These look different, have irregular colours or patterns compared to the normal mole.

Atypical melanocytic proliferation

• These have cells that are very similar to melanoma cells
• Most require further treatment.

Other non-cancerous pigmented lesions

• These do not require further treatment.