When to Test Moles for Melanoma

Jan: Hi! My name is Jan and I am from Tampa, Florida. My question is, if you have a mole that has changed shape and color, what kind of test you have to determine whether it's melanoma?

Suzan Obagi: Jan, that's a very good question. Any mole that you think has changed shape or color, should be brought to the attention of a dermatologist. Your dermatologist then will look at the mole and determine if it truly is in fact a mole or whether it's one of other benign conditions on the skin. If it's a mole that the dermatologist is concerned about, then a small in-office procedure is performed to biopsy the lesion and then that specimen is sent off to the laboratory to be looked under the microscope by a specialist in skin pathology.


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