I had a suspected melanoma surgically removed recently. It wasn’t big but irregular, dark - a mix of brown/black - and on my upper back that gets a lot of sun. I'm Celtic, freckly, fair-skinned and spent my childhood being blistered in the tropics so a prime candidate. The procedure itself was okay, though not pain-free, but it took a couple of months or more to heal and hurt more than I expected. Turned out not to be malignant. But my advice to anyone thinking of removing a mole themselves, don't. Get it checked out by a dermatologist. Don't fuck around.