Medical Dermatology
Mole Checks & Skin Exams in Peachtree City, GA
Most moles are harmless. The reason we look at them carefully is the exception: melanoma, the most serious skin cancer, often starts as a mole that's new or changing. A spot check takes minutes. A full-body exam takes about twenty. Both buy something valuable — either peace of mind or an early catch, and early catches are the ones that end well.
The ABCDEs of melanoma
Bring a mole in if you notice any of these — or if it's simply new, changing, or doesn't look like your others:
- A — Asymmetry — one half doesn't match the other
- B — Border — edges that are ragged, notched, or blurred
- C — Color — multiple shades, or black, blue, or red areas
- D — Diameter — larger than a pencil eraser (6mm) — though melanomas can be smaller
- E — Evolving — changing in size, shape, or color, or starting to itch, scale, hurt, or bleed
What happens at a skin exam
A full-body skin exam is straightforward: a provider examines your skin head to toe — including easy-to-miss places like the scalp, back, and between toes — using a dermatoscope, a magnifier with polarized light that reveals structures the eye can't see. You point out anything that's been on your mind; we photograph or measure spots worth watching.
If a spot needs testing, a biopsy usually happens the same visit: quick numbing, a small sample, a bandage. Our biopsies are read in-house by our own board-certified dermatopathologist, so answers come back fast and nothing gets lost between offices.
Mole basics worth knowing
Moles are clusters of pigment cells (melanocytes); genetics sets the pattern and sun exposure adds to it. Most appear in the first 20 years of life — 10 to 40 moles by adulthood is normal — and they naturally evolve with age: rising, darkening with sun, adolescence, or pregnancy, sometimes fading, sometimes growing a hair. All of that can be normal. Two special cases get extra attention: congenital nevi (moles present at birth, about 1 in 100 people, with a higher lifetime melanoma risk — especially the large ones) and a brand-new mole appearing after age 20, which is worth an exam on principle. If a biopsied mole does turn out to be cancerous, the whole mole and a margin of normal skin around it is removed.
Who should get checked, and how often
Come in annually if you have fair skin, lots of moles, a history of sunburns or tanning beds, or a personal or family history of skin cancer. If you've had a melanoma, your schedule will be more frequent at first. And regardless of schedule: any new, changing, or odd spot is reason enough to come in now — that's exactly what same-day and next-day slots are for.
Atypical (dysplastic) moles — benign moles with irregular features — may put you in a watch-more-closely group. We'll tell you plainly which spots we're watching and why.
Related: Dysplastic Nevus (Atypical Mole) · Melanoma · Skin Cancer & Mohs Surgery
This page is general education, not a diagnosis — see a dermatologist in Peachtree City about your specific skin concern.
Common questions
The numbing pinch lasts a few seconds; the biopsy itself doesn't hurt. Most sites heal with a small scab in a week or two.
Faster than most places — our pathology is read on-site by our own dermatopathologist rather than shipped to an outside lab. We'll tell you the expected timing at your visit and call you with results.
Often yes — benign moles can be removed for comfort or cosmetic reasons. We'll examine it first (anything removed gets checked under the microscope), and we'll be upfront that purely cosmetic removals aren't covered by insurance.
Yes — that's what the full-body exam is for. For patients with many or unusual moles we offer mole mapping: photographic tracking that makes change obvious from visit to visit. The dermatoscope and the photos do the remembering.
Then you're in the right place: biopsy, diagnosis, and treatment — including Mohs surgery for skin cancers that need it — all happen within our own practice.
Ready to have it looked at?
Same-day and next-day appointments are often available · 4.8 from 360+ Google reviews. Mon–Fri · 7:30am–5:00pm.