Hi Sarah,

How long have you been waiting for a referral? If it's way past the 2 week mark and you can't speak to anyone at the Dermatology department, I would suggest you go back to your GP. Tell them the wait & the stress is causing you great anxiety & can they either find out when you can expect to hear from the hospital or can your GP refer you to a different hospital.

Melanoma can occur anywhere on the skin including the sole of the foot and palm of the hand. It's not common for moles to be on the sole or palm but any mole found in those areas is usually checked out. I had one removed from the sole and thankfully it was benign so not all moles on the sole of the foot are cancerous. Most melanomas on the sole are caused by genetics but they can occur because of sun damage too - if you think about it, sitting on a sunbed by a pool or on the beach for 2 weeks the soles are exposed to the sun depending on it's angle in the sky - and we don't think to put sun screen on the soles!

I hope you manage to get an appointment through quickly & it all turns out to be fine. Please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient)