Worried about skin cancer

I'm 35, red haired with fair freckly skin. I have been sunburnt a few times in my life, once very badly. My father has a history of reoccurring skin cancer. I always take yearly photos of my moles and over the last several months, a new mole has appeared. It started as a very small invisible bump on my right arm. It has grown, become light and dark pink in colour, has an irregular, blurry border and has become itchy at times. I saw a GP a while ago about it and they shrugged it off because "it is pink, not dark brown or black".  It has grown since then and I'm worried my GP won't take me seriously again. I have no idea why I'm posting, I'm just scared I guess. I'm going to submit an e consult to my GP when they're open again. Can I refer myself to a dermatologist? How can I make my GP take me seriously!?

  • Hello Chappers868

    Thank you for your post. Our nurse team are now out of office for the festive period. They return on Wednesday 29th December and will reply to your post as soon as they’re able to.

    Best wishes, 
    Jenn
    Cancer Chat moderator 

  • Hiya.

    I would def do an Econsult,giving your skin type and family history it's best to get it checked out again. 

    I did the same over some moles that made me extremely anxious,had 3 removed. All 3 ended up being begine. Best to be on the safe side.

    You can call Dermatologist directly and make an appointment,but you may have to pay for it privately.  Least if you do it through your GP the NHS covers it.

     

  • I'm so glad yours were benign! It's so worrying waiting though isn't it!?

    I've booked in for a mole scan at Boots and I'll submit an e consult but a bit concerned about the NHS waiting times due to covid. I'm not in the position to go private at the moment, although my life insurance has a 'second opinion' add on so I'll see if that's any good. 
     

    Just awful worrying and waiting 

  • Hello and thanks for your post,

    I am sorry to hear about your concerns. It is good to hear that you are monitoring your moles with photographs and you may find that you will be able to forward a picture of the changes in the mole to your GP. Let them know about your concerns and the changes that you have noticed since you were last seen

    You may be interested in looking at the ABCDE checklist when looking at your mole which you can see here

    To decide who to refer to a NHS dermatologist (skin specialist), GPs also use a weighted seven point check list which includes a change in size, an irregular shape, an irregular colour, a largest diameter of 7mm or more, inflammation, oozing and a change in sensation. You can read more about how this works here

    You can't refer yourself to a dermatologist but  I do know that some larger Superdrug stores or some Boots stores offer a mole scanning service and they would refer you back to your GP if there were any concerns.

    You could try ringing one of the private hospital chains, such as BUPA, Spire, or Nuffield hospitals. They may be able to offer a private dermatologist without a GP referral, but I am not sure.

    There is a private health website where you can search for services in your area, Have a look here

    This service comes up on a Google search, but you may need a GP referral anyway, Have a look here

    In the first instance I would get back in touch with your GP and explain your concerns.

    I do hope this helps.

    All the Best,

    Catherine

  • Thank you for getting back to me.

    I've booked in for a mole scan at Boots as I don't want to trouble my GP again if it's nothing to worry about. I didn't know about this service so thank you!