I had 2 removed 2 years ago, but since, 3 of those odd and nasty spots have been growing in my back which I'll have removed and analyzed Thursday.
 
They seem to grow in (curved) lines, a few inches away from one another  - I also have 5 of them on one of my legs, though these are paler. One has been around for 7 or 8 years and others just appeared gradually but steadily over the last 2 years or so - scratch it off, it comes back... Thicker.
 
The fact that I've had some of them for years makes me optimistic. The fact that a few new/darker ones grew so fast, not so much. I'm well aware that it's  just a matter of time before one grows that's not exactly harmless.
 
I don't think I've ever taken a day for granted, so this doesn't change things much. Still, I'd like a few thousand more years with my wife - and a couple of years with a SG standard and a big Marshall...
 
 
 
 

You've been infested with Ring Worms?!??!?!
 
 
 
Hopefully not!

More like melanoma. But hopefully not.

I'm glad you're on it Rain. These days, we have to know what's going on with our bodies sooner than later.  
 

I try to avoid my body all together.
 
I'm failing so far.
 
Get her done Krist.

Regular dermatological checkups are a must, especially if you've spent a good deal in the sun. If they catch a melanoma early then it's generally not a problem, they may also determine that something is "pre-cancerous" which means it's fine now but you're advised to have it removed before it turns bad.
 
I had one 7 or 8 years ago, a dark black mole on my upper arm which was irregular shaped. People kept asking me if it was a bug. I put off having it checked out for ages but it's a good job I eventually did because it turned out to be malignant and the specialist said that if I'd left it another 6 weeks it could have gotten into my lymph system. I think it was stage 6 or something like that. The worst of it was I was uninsured so it ended up costing me thousands of dollars, although when you're paying upfront in cash it's usually possible to negotiate the surgeon's fee right down, which I successfully did. Anyway they took a big chunk of flesh out of my arm and sewed it up perfectly so you'd never know apart from a very feint scar.
 
I think the first 2 years I had to have dermatological checkup every 3 months, and then even since it's been every 6 months. You'll be fine as long as you get them checked out regularly and go forward with any necessary treatment as soon as possible. They don't sound like melanomas to me although to be honest I'm no expert apart from my own narrow experience.

The stuff on my leg looks like age spots - though it never occurred to me that those grew in such odd places, especially since I never spent much time in the sun, and never wore shorts except when I was a kid.
 
The ones in my back grew quick - at least I think so. I don't remember them being there. Though this may be a case of me never having more than one mirror in the bathroom before we moved here. Maybe I just never saw them. But they certainly feel different.

I hope you're OK.
 
J

Just got back from the doctor's office.
 
A quick look and he diagnosed those spots as "sebaceous keratosis" - totally harmless, and most likely an hereditary thing. I'm likely to deal with new ones in the future, but at least now I know I don't have to worry and that the treatment is quick and pretty much painless most of the time.
 
He removed more than three though - at least 5 on my back, 3 on my leg, and 2 more on my chest. The good news is that between the last time I went and today, my wife has found a much better dermatologist. This one used liquid nitrogen - whereas the other had used needles and a scalpel and left me with scars. That could - and should - have been avoided according to our new doctor.
 
Next up he'll be taking care of the cysts I never managed to get the doctors to remove back in Quebec. :)

Great to hear, ol pal! Rock on.