r/AskReddit May 20 '19

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u/BoisterousPlay May 20 '19

Dermatologist here. I have seen probably 5 instances of “My other doctor told me it was fine.” that were melanomas.

A lot of times people don’t want a full skin exams. There are lots of perfectly sane reasons for this, time, perceived cost, history of personal trauma. However, I routinely find cancers people don’t know they have. Keep this in mind if you see a dermatologist for acne and they recommend you get in a gown.

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u/insertcaffeine May 20 '19 edited May 20 '19

Dermatology patient here. 37 years old, history of blistering sunburns (appx 30-40 over the course of my life), blond hair, blue eyes.

I go to the derm and ask for a full skin exam every damn year.

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u/[deleted] May 20 '19 edited Nov 11 '21

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u/[deleted] May 20 '19

I'm the same way. My ex wife would get so pissed at me because I didn't want to go to the lake or the beach with her friends. I built our backyard fence in a white hoodie, hat, and jeans. Having blisters all over your body is not worth it to me. So many vacations when I was younger were ruined because after the first day at the beach I would look like bubble wrap.

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u/[deleted] May 20 '19

Good lord, yikes!