TW melanoma - with pic

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

I have had a typical sun spot/liver spot on my hand for around three years. It has always been flat and uniformly mid brown.
over the past couple of months it has become a bit raised and almost scabby, and different colours - see pic. It has grown too.

i went to the GP today and she said it just looked like sun damage - prescribed some steroid cream and said come back in a month.
she was very young, registrar. She asked if I had been in the tropics a lot growing up, which I haven’t at all, she seemed reassured by that.
i said I got sunburned a lot as a child- I am ginger.

given the referral recommendations around possible melanoma, would you get a second opinion? Or am I overreacting?

Anyone?
I feel like the registrar dismissed it a bit due to not being in the tropics….
she was not of UK origin

That looks more like a Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) to me .Is it like a scab that just wont heal ? I have had one just like it removed from my leg during the summer .You need to get a Dermatologist to confirm .Once treated they are usually nothing to worry about but left unattended can grow in width and depth.I did grow up in Africa and am Irish so have to keep a good eye on my skin .

Second opinion. Absolutely no reason why this shouldn't be checked out properly to be safe. Trust your instincts.

Possibly some form of skin cancer (maybe BCC as someone above mentioned) but not melanoma. You should get it treated but it is not nearly as aggressive as melanoma.

@schnubbins thank you - no until recently it has been a flat, uniformly brown trouble free sunspot, although it has slowly grown.
@Owlmoonstar thank you, yes you’re right.

@TappyGilmore thank you that’s reassuring- because it’s been fine up til now?

Just to add .I have had a few spots like that removed over the years as a precaution from my arms that turned out to be harmless but the one on my leg was indeed a BCC .I have turned 60 this year though so getting older.Just maybe get a second opinion as suggested above if only to put your mind at rest.

It’s mostly that it just doesn’t look like melanoma. Google the ABCDE of melanoma (and I know people will say that you shouldn’t Google health symptoms, but in your case it will hopefully put your mind at rest a little). I live in New Zealand so there is more awareness about this type of thing.

But as mentioned it still may be some type of skin cancer.

I went to a private skin cancer clinic for a mole that I was concerned about, so yes I had to pay, but it was inexpensive and worth it to get an appointment when I wanted, and it was only the one appointment as the doctor removed it right there in the first appointment and sent it away for testing. (And it turned out to be nothing.) Maybe look for something like that near you if your GP is unhelpful.

Thank you, I had looked at the ABC - it has all of those?

Melanoma comes in many forms. Some, like mine, are particularly rare even within the rare condition of melanoma and classic ABC thing does not apply.

Always get a second opinion with a possible skin cancer.

My GP blithely announced my melanoma was a reaction to an insect bite and to ignore it.

I did so for six months until I eventually went back and luckily saw a locum who immediately put me on the cancer fast track that existed back then.

Many gps have extremely limited knowledge of dermatology.

My consultant dermatologist who specialises in melanoma told me it is hardly ever chosen as one of their rotations which they complete before entering general practice because they think it is all about boring acne when in fact it can be life saving.

@GloiredeDijon that’s interesting- and worrying.
ill get a second opinion I think.
it does tick all of the abc

I’d ask for a referral to Dermatology just to play it safe.

I would just add, my post was not meant to scare you.

It may be perfectly fine and odds are that it will be but you need to know.

Even in the worst case scenario melanoma is a hundred times more treatable now than it was just five years ago.

Plus if it is just a basal cell then it only needs lopping off which is nothing at all.

Thank you @GloiredeDijon no it didn’t scare me, thank you for taking the time with your reply, it’s really helpful to have information.

I’d query BCC as well - had one removed from my nose. If your GP surgery has a good website it might tell you who is good with skin. I’d at least expect a GP to look through a dermatoscope

She said come back in a month. If it hasn't cleared up with the cream, go back in a month & it's likely you will be referred to a derm.

Not sure exactly what you mean by a second opinion.

Is it definitely steroid cream she prescribed?
Diclofenac cream is more typical for actinic keratosis / sun damage. Treatment for a month and then referral if needed needed is pretty standard.

GPs are not good with melanoma. I have a family history of melanoma and most of them have been missed because they present atypically - they are white/colourless rather than the raggedy edged black things we are told to look for. Mine looked like a pale freckle but when the dermatologist took a photo and enlarged it, you could see that the centre was white. My second one was similar.

I think yours looks more like a basal cell, but do get it checked out. My Mum had a squamous cell carcinoma on her arm which the dermatologist missed until she pointed it out. It had grown massively and left her with a huge scar.

Okay thank you - those asking what I mean by second opinion, the referral for suspected melanoma is two weeks to a dermatologist so that’s what I’m worried about missing.
i think my photo isn’t great, and my skin is naturally very blotchy and see through.
the sun spot is round, about 7mm, there is a new pale scabby bit on the bottom half.

Hi Op.

Did you decide to go ahead with arranging to see another GP to push for a referral?

Personally I would do the month on the cream, then return if not improved, as advised. And try to stop worrying about it because the likelihood of it being MM is very low (though no zero).

Thanks all, a colleague who is a Dr checked it - said unlikely melanoma more like BCC so to return to GP in a couple of weeks not wait a month.

A BCC can happily wait a month. They can usually happily wait years, decades even!

The thing with skin lesions is it's all a guessing game.
The ONLY way to get answers is through biopsy.

treatment for my BCC start to finish was over 5 years. A couple of attempts with various creams, and eventually biopsy and removal. They are very slow growing so not a huge rush. Give it a chance to clear up, and if not get a dermatologist referral. You will likely wait months to see a consultant