12 year old daughter anxious about melanoma

My 12 year old daughter has many moles (I would say about 50), and most look perfectly healthy and normal. She has one on her arm which is slightly raised and has a brown area around it with a couple of black specks in it. I took her to the doctor in March and they confirmed the that it was healthy and that she didn't need to go back unless she showed symptoms. 

However, she has recently spotted a small brownish spot underneath the toenail in the bottom left corner of her pinky toe. She can't remember hurting it in any way and it is painless. She's been non stop researching her symptoms the past few days and thinks it could be either a subungual hetamona or subungual melanoma, although has claimed it has grown with the nail ever so slightly, suggesting it could be subungual hematoma. It doesn't necessarily follow any characteristics of subungual melanoma (usually found on the big toe or thumb and a vertical line) and despite the fact it is extremely rare in children, she can't get the thought out of her mind and it worries her all the time.

My daughter suffers from anxiety and severe OCD, and can't stop worrying about the fact it could be subungual melanoma or the fact she could have melanoma herself, especially as it can be so fatal if it is not treated early. 

Is it worth taking her back to the doctors or not? If not, are there any ways I could help to manage her anxiety?

Thank you so much x 

  • Hello VenusSky

    I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter is struggling with anxiety at the moment and that as a result she's worried about a mark under her toenail. It sounds like the anxiety has become quite debilitating for her. 

    Do you have any support from the GP or your local mental health service to help her manage things? As she's so worried about this mark under her toenail I'd certainly think about speaking with the GP and asking for some reassurance. If your daughter isn't having any help with her anxiety then the GP will be able to talk about local services that may be able to help. You can read more about anxiety in children on the NHS website

    In the meantime, do try to encourage her to not research things online. We know that very often the information found online is inaccurate or outdated and it nearly always leaves people feeling more worried than they did to start with. 

    I hope that you're able to get the support that she needs and that things improve for her over the coming months. 

    Best wishes, 
    Jenn
    Cancer Chat moderator