Worried about skin cancer

Hi everyone,

 

I'm a 17 year old girl and I'm worried about some moles on my body, all of which I've had since I was a child (bar one triangle shaped one that hasnt grown or changed since it came on last year). One is a raised bumpy one, which itched once when I was on hols last year. Another is a dark brown/black freckle on my calf, about 3mm in diameter which hasnt grown significantly or bled or itched. I also have a dark mole resembling a skin tag only bigger on my back. All of these have been here since childhood. Lastly, I have a non symmetrical freckle on my thigh that has a slightly darker dot in it, this also has been here for some years and i havent noticed any change.

 

I've made an appointment for tuesday with my gp, but I'm terrified that i have melanoma or something. Furthermore, I dont havea family history with skin cancer. I hope someone can help ease my anxiety.

 

P.s I got routine blood work done in February because I had tonsillitis. Nothing was out of order.

 

-Karen

  • Hi Karen, 

     

    I just wanted to let you know that everything will be okay. I had a mole on my arm that doubled in size with a black patch, it was itchy and crusted over and bled. I went to GP who immediately said it doesn't look right so he referred me to dermatology. She looked at it and said it looks like melanoma so I had it removed and sent for testing. It came back positive that I have stage 1b melanoma so I had a lymph node biopsy and a wider area removed. I'm waiting for lymph node results but if it is negative then all the cancer is gone and the survival rate is nearly 100%. Even if it is Melanoma that doesn't mean it is a death sentence. If your GP said it looks normal then chances are it is normal. Try not to worry until you get a positive diagnosis as you're likely worrying about nothing and skin cancer is treatable :) good luck xx

     

  • Thanks Christie,

     

    The doctor referred me for peace of mind but said she isnt worried

     

    Karen xx

  • Thanks Jason I'll keep you updated