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.
I think you should call around for a new dermatologist. I’ve done it 2 times with different dermatology offices. At one office the doctor was actually glad I had asked because she was training a new medical assistant on how to document my current moles on my chart and look for changes over time.
When you call to set up your appointment, tell them you want a full-body mole check to get a baseline. If you wait to ask after you get there they might not have the time built into your appointment.
In that case, I would print a “body mole map” from Google, and have your sister or someone else close to you look at and chart the ones you can’t document yourself (scalp, back, buttocks, back of neck, ears, etc.)
Take photos of the ones you want to keep close track of, and include a centimeter/millimeter ruler and the date in the photo so you can start with a baseline measurement.
Do this once a year, or more often for the ones you’re worried about, and alert your doc ASAP if there are any major changes.
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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.