A 25 year old mother to a two year old, I never questioned my skin care when it came to the sun.
I grew up in a remote town (an island) in Maryland and spent my summers on workboats with my father and had my share of sunburn and tanned skin. As I grew older, my skin tone continued to tan easily with minor sunburn here and there. I use sunscreen on my daughter religiously, but I opted for tanning oils for myself mostly. I also was an avid tanning bed user (3-4 days a week) for about 5 years. My mother is italian, so my complexion is on the medium side, but there are periods of time when I don't tan (indoor or out) that I am borderline pale.
I have freckles here and there on my shoulders and chest, and I have two raised cherry freckles that have never been concerning to doctors.
About 6 weeks ago, a new mole on the outside of my armpit close to my shoulder appeared. Small, and very black. I ignored it until about two weeks later. I noticed it was a tad bit bigger. I again let it go.
Two weeks ago I found myself itching it, not often but when I did, it made a tingle sensation. The same week, I started having pain in my underarm like swollen, tender lymph nodes. I asked my husband, and he said I should get it looked at. I called the dermatologist, and they stated they had openings about 3 weeks later. When they asked what I wanted to be seen for and I explained, I was put on hold and was informed to come in first thing the next day. That scared me. I just went, and the dermatologist asked no questions about my history, just said new moles should be checked. He said he wasnt concerned, but wanted to shave it and send it to the pathology lab. He said most people with olive skin tones/dark hair and eyes do not get skin cancer, and since it was a new mole entirely, it was nothing to worry about.
Is this right? Everything seems to read new moles over 25 years old should be checked out. Does my complexion make me less of a target? Should there have been more conversation about my history with sun exposure?
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