I recently had a mole to appear on my leg. I am one to be out in the sun a lot during the summer months and I will occassionally go to a tanning bed. I have never had a severe sunburn on my legs before. I tan more on my upper body (chest, arms & face). The mole is a little dark... but it hasn't grown any and it appears to be symmetrical. I haven't had any discoloration and it doesn't hurt at all. Is it normal for moles to just appear? I wouldn't say that I'm abusive when it comes to sunbathing and I don't go to tanning beds all that much. I'll probably go for a month to get a base down before I tan at the beach... it helps me to prevent from getting burnt outside when I go to a tanning bed beforehand.

I just had a mole removed on my arm that came back as non cancer. The report said it was scar tissue. I asked the dr. what that meant. He said moles can start from mosquito bites, bumping into things, etc. I was shocked to learn this but it explained he said why I had several "new" moles appearing over the last couple years.

As a survivor of melanoma, I recommend that you not ignore this. I've learned from my experience that a key warning sign of possible skin cancer is a mole that "just appears". You should see a doctor or dermatologist (skin doctor):

Good luck

[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 04-10-2002).]