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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment online; this condition usually needs in-person or urgent care.
- Melanoma cannot be diagnosed or ruled out from a photo. An online doctor assesses how suspicious a mole looks and arranges urgent in-person referral; diagnosis needs dermoscopy and a biopsy, and treatment is surgical or specialist.
- Melanoma found early is very often treated successfully, which is why speed of referral matters.
- Checking your whole skin about once a month, including the back, scalp and soles, makes change easier to catch early.
- The ABCDE checklist (Asymmetry, Border, Colour, Diameter, Evolving) is how changing moles are screened.
An online consultation is a fast way to have a worrying mole risk-assessed and, if needed, referred urgently. It is not a diagnosis. If a mole is bleeding, ulcerated or growing quickly, arrange in-person dermatology promptly rather than waiting, and use the consultation to get the referral moving. Melanoma is never treated online. See the referral pathway below.
Can an online doctor diagnose melanoma?
No. Melanoma cannot be diagnosed, or safely ruled out, from a photo or video. A firm diagnosis needs a dermatologist to examine the mole with a dermoscope and usually remove it for a biopsy.[1] What an online doctor can do is assess how suspicious a mole looks, weigh your risk, and arrange an urgent in-person referral so nothing is left to drift.
How an online consultation helps if you are worried about a mole
? Photograph the mole in daylight: one wider shot showing where it is, and a sharp close-up with a ruler beside it for scale. If you have an older photo of the same mole, share it, because change over time is one of the most useful signals. Note any bleeding, itch or recent growth. A photo supports a risk assessment; it cannot diagnose melanoma, so examination may still be needed. Our guide, how to photograph a skin problem for an online doctor, helps you get it sharp.
? Photograph the mole in daylight: one wider shot showing where it is, and a sharp close-up with a ruler beside it for scale. If you have an older photo of the same mole, share it, because change over time is one of the most useful signals. Note any bleeding, itch or recent growth. A photo supports a risk assessment; it cannot diagnose melanoma, so examination may still be needed. Our guide, how to photograph a skin problem for an online doctor, helps you get it sharp.
the doctor reviews your photos and the story of any change against the recognised warning features, and tells you honestly how concerning the mole looks.
if the mole warrants it, you leave the consultation with a referral to in-person dermatology, and an urgent one where the features call for it, rather than a long wait to be taken seriously.
a camera cannot dermoscope or biopsy a mole, so a suspicious lesion is always sent for hands-on assessment, never reassured away online.
where a mole looks stable and low-risk, the doctor explains what to watch for and when to come back, so you know exactly what change would matter.
What the doctor checks in an online mole assessment
The assessment is structured around the features that decide how urgently a mole needs in-person examination. In a mole consultation, the doctor will typically assess:
- The ABCDE features: asymmetry, an irregular border, more than one colour, a larger diameter, and above all any evolution or change, judged from your photos.[2]
- The story of change: whether the mole has grown, changed shape or colour, become itchy, or started to bleed or crust, and over what timeframe.
- The “ugly duckling” sign: a mole that simply looks different from all your others, which can matter more than any single feature.
- Your risk profile: fair skin that burns easily, a history of sunburn or sunbed use, many moles, a previous skin cancer, a family history of melanoma, and any condition or medicine that weakens the immune system.
- Where it is: including hard-to-see sites such as the back, scalp, soles and nails.
- The honest limit: because the doctor cannot dermoscope the lesion, any suspicion is routed to urgent in-person assessment rather than settled online.
How to check a mole: the ABCDE rule
The ABCDE rule is a simple way to spot a mole that needs checking. Any one feature is a reason to have it looked at, and change over time is the most important signal of all:[2]
- A is for Asymmetry: one half does not match the other.
- B is for Border: edges are irregular, ragged, notched or blurred.
- C is for Colour: more than one shade, or an uneven mix of brown, black, red, white or blue.
- D is for Diameter: larger than about 6 mm, though melanomas can be smaller.
- E is for Evolving: any change in size, shape, colour or height, or new itching, bleeding or crusting.
Alongside these, trust the ugly-duckling instinct: a spot that looks unlike your other moles deserves a look. A new pigmented mole appearing in adulthood, a mole that bleeds or will not heal, or a dark streak that appears under a nail are all reasons to get checked promptly.[2] None of these features proves melanoma, and most turn out to be harmless, but they are exactly what an examination is for.
Pigmented spots that are usually harmless
Most pigmented marks on the skin are not melanoma, and it helps to know the common harmless ones so worry is proportionate. Ordinary moles are even in colour, symmetrical and stable for years. Freckles and sun-related flat brown patches (lentigines) come with sun exposure and stay flat. Seborrhoeic keratoses are warty, stuck-on brown growths that are very common with age and can look alarming but are benign. Cherry angiomas are small bright-red spots, not pigment at all.
The reassuring theme is stability: harmless spots tend to look like your others and stay the same. The difference that matters is change. Any of these that begins to grow, darken unevenly, bleed or look unlike its neighbours still deserves a check, which is precisely the judgement an online risk-assessment helps you make before deciding how urgently to be seen.
Protecting your skin and checking it yourself
Reducing melanoma risk comes down to limiting ultraviolet damage: avoid sunburn and sunbeds, seek shade in the strongest midday sun, cover up, and use a high-factor sunscreen on skin that will be exposed.[4] Fair skin, a history of burning and heavy sun or sunbed use all raise risk, so these habits matter most for those groups, and for children whose sunburn counts for life.
Checking your own skin roughly once a month makes change easier to catch early. Look over your whole body in good light, including the back, scalp, soles and between the toes, using a mirror or a partner for the awkward areas, and photograph any mole you want to keep an eye on so you have something to compare against. If a spot starts to stand out from the rest, that is the moment to have it assessed rather than to wait and see.
Which moles suit online assessment, and which need examining?
This is the pathway our doctors use to make sure a worrying mole is seen quickly, aligned with the cited guidance:[3]
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A mole with one or more ABCDE features, or clearly changing | Photo risk-assessment and urgent referral to dermatology | Online for triage and referral only | Always; needs dermoscopy and usually a biopsy |
| A new or “ugly duckling” mole unlike your others | Photo assessment, with urgent referral if suspicious | Triage and referral only | Always, for diagnosis |
| A long-stable mole, no change, but you are anxious | Reassurance, a baseline photo and clear safety-netting | Usually yes, for assessment | Refer if it later changes, or if anything is uncertain |
| A bleeding, ulcerated or fast-growing pigmented lesion | Prompt in-person dermatology; do not delay | No | Always, urgently |
| Confirmed or suspected melanoma | Specialist surgical and oncology care | No | Always; treatment is never delivered online |
Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.
Worried about a mole? A doctor can risk-assess it and, if needed, refer you urgently in one consultation. €47, exact price shown before payment.
See available times →How melanoma is diagnosed and treated (in person)
It is worth being clear about what happens after a referral, because none of it is done online. A dermatologist examines the mole with a dermoscope, a magnifying tool that reveals patterns the naked eye cannot see. If the mole is suspicious, it is removed with a small margin of skin and sent for a biopsy, which is what actually confirms or excludes melanoma.[1]
If melanoma is confirmed, treatment is surgical and specialist: a wider excision to remove a margin of healthy skin, sometimes assessment of nearby lymph nodes, and, for more advanced disease, specialist therapies overseen by an oncology team.[5] Melanoma found early is very often treated successfully, which is exactly why speed of referral matters and why an honest online risk-assessment that gets you seen quickly is valuable. What no online service should do is offer to treat melanoma, or promise from a photo that a mole is safe.
When we help online, and when we refer you
This is the heart of how we handle moles, and where honesty matters most.
What we can do online: risk-assess a mole from clear photos and your history; write an in-person dermatology referral, urgently where the features warrant it; provide reassurance with specific safety-netting advice when a mole looks stable and low-risk; and set a baseline so future change is easier to judge.
What needs in-person care: any mole with suspicious or changing features; dermoscopy, biopsy and the diagnosis itself; a bleeding, ulcerated or fast-growing lesion, seen promptly; and every part of melanoma treatment, which is surgical and specialist. In all of these the consultation exists to get you to the right care faster, never to substitute for it. Moles are one of many concerns our doctors help with among skin conditions online, alongside benign lesions such as warts and cysts, though a suspicious pigmented mole always takes the urgent-referral route.
When melanoma needs urgent, in-person care
A suspicious or changing mole should be assessed in person promptly, within days rather than weeks, and an online consultation can arrange that urgent referral. A mole itself is not usually a 112 emergency. However, in someone with known or advanced melanoma, call 112 or go to an emergency department for sudden severe symptoms that can signal spread or a serious complication, such as breathlessness, coughing up blood, a first seizure, a sudden severe headache, or new one-sided weakness or confusion.
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- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm, often the same day, with the exact price, €47, shown before you pay.
- Upload clear photos of the mole, then speak to a licensed doctor: a private video consultation, from anywhere in Europe.
- Get a clear plan: reassurance with safety-netting, or an urgent referral to in-person dermatology for dermoscopy and, if needed, a biopsy. If we can’t help you online, you get a full refund.
Frequently asked questions about melanoma
Can an online doctor check a mole for melanoma?
An online doctor can risk-assess a mole from clear photos and your history, and arrange an urgent in-person referral if it looks suspicious. What they cannot do is diagnose or rule out melanoma from a photo, because that needs dermoscopy and usually a biopsy. The consultation is about deciding how urgently you need to be seen.
How much does a mole check consultation cost?
A video consultation costs €47. The exact price is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. If the doctor can’t help you online and you need in-person assessment, you get a full refund and clear directions to the right care.
How quickly can I be seen if a mole looks suspicious?
Appointments are available daily from 7am to 11pm, often the same day. If the doctor judges a mole suspicious, they arrange an in-person dermatology referral, urgently where the features warrant it, so you are not left waiting to be taken seriously. The in-person appointment timing then depends on local services.
What are the ABCDE warning signs of melanoma?
ABCDE stands for Asymmetry, an irregular Border, more than one Colour, a Diameter larger than about 6 mm, and Evolving, meaning any change in size, shape or colour, or new itching or bleeding. Any single feature, and change in particular, is a reason to have a mole checked, though most such moles are harmless.
Can melanoma be treated online?
No. Melanoma is diagnosed by biopsy and treated surgically, often with specialist input, all of which happens in person. Any service offering to treat melanoma online, or to clear a mole as safe from a photo, is not acting safely. Our role is fast, honest risk-assessment and urgent referral.
My mole itches and has bled. Is that serious?
Itching and bleeding are among the changes worth taking seriously, so a mole that has started to itch, bleed or crust should be assessed promptly. It is often something harmless, but it fits the pattern that warrants examination. An online consultation can review it quickly and arrange an urgent referral if needed.
Do you offer full skin or mole-mapping checks online?
No. Total-body skin examination and mole mapping are in-person services using dermoscopy and specialist imaging. Online, we assess specific moles you are worried about and arrange referral. If you have many atypical moles or a strong family history, we can direct you to in-person surveillance, which is the right setting for ongoing monitoring.
- Melanoma: assessment and management (NG14), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2015 (updated 2022).
- Melanoma, DermNet New Zealand Trust, reviewed 2023.
- Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2015 (updated 2023).
- Ultraviolet radiation fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 2022.
- Skin cancer (melanoma), HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), accessed August 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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Listen · 23 Feb 2026 →Speak to a doctor about melanoma today
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