I took my 7-year-old daughter in to see my dermatologist just for a routine skin check. She'd never been to a dermatologist before, but because she has a few moles, I thought it would be a good idea to have a baseline established in case any of her moles start to change as she gets older.
Well, little did I know the shock I was in for....
It turned out that the doctor removed a mole on her scalp that was a little scary looking. It was about the size of a pencil eraser with jagged edges and uneven shading. A few days later, the biopsy showed that it would have turned into melanoma -- it was just a matter of time. It was a dysplastic nevus with atypical cells. What really freaked me out was the fact that this mole had never seen the light of day -- it was well hidden under her hair, and I'd always associated melanoma with being in the sun too much.
Now, I have to be careful about keeping an eye on my daughter's moles, and I'll definitely be combing through her scalp every once in a while. She'll need to see a dermatologist at least once a year for a complete check and mole measurement for the rest of her life.
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Kristin, what a service you've done by posting your story.
My sister's four kids, who are 7, 8, 11 and 20, all share her blonde, blue-eyed ccloring, so she has been a fanatic about sunscreen their entire lives. But I'm sure she (and I) felt that that was about protecting them later in life, not right this minute!
I'm emailing her this page. Maybe with global warming and our increased incidence of skin cancer overall, it's time for dermatology checks to be routine for youngsters as well as for adults.
October 8, 2008 - 8:04amThis Comment
Not sure if I'm as vigilant as I should be (I'll be more so from now on!!), but I do consider myself and my daughter very lucky!
By the way, I absolutely love our family dermatologist. She is extraordinary -- brilliant in her field and so attentive to her patients. Her name is Dr. Rosemary Geary and she offices on Dobson Road in Chandler, Arizona.
October 7, 2008 - 5:08pmThis Comment
Just today, a co-worker told me that her husband, a fellow coach in a marathon training program, recently had a very odd growth removed from his arm. It was deeper than a "typical" mole, but, fortunately, tested negative for melanoma. My grandfather had skin cancer, and because I have lupus and spend a lot of time outdoors, I'm also a bit more attentive than most to moles that appear.
For a youngster to have melanoma, and hidden under her hair, must have been frightening for everyone. You are, indeed, a vigilant mom!
October 7, 2008 - 4:59pmThis Comment
Wow---that is an amazing story! Your daughter is lucky to have a vigilant mom on her side!
Ok---this is the push I need to go to a dermatologist. I don't have one, or a recommendation, so I've been delaying the inevitable. I have a few new spots on my temples that I believe are more in hormonal-induced category (showed up after pregnancy, and never went away), but I need to have them checked out.
thanks for sharing!
October 7, 2008 - 2:28pmThis Comment