Ali- Thanks for the advice hon. I think you are right about looking into a ps if it went that far. The problem is that there are about 20 spots/moles that look suss to me!! I just want someone to thoroughly look at them and tell me what to look for etc. I have tried googling moles etc in the past, and it just scares the heck out of me and confuses me even more!!
During my last pregnancy, I noticed many pigmentation changes. It is normal for pigmentation to darken in pregnancy. However, your GP's comments that they didn't look dark enough to be a problem seems strange. I have a great female GP who I see for women's issues, but who is hopeless with skin cancer. When i got my first skin cancer 3 years ago, I showed it to her and she told me to go away and put moisturiser on it for 2 weeks and then come back if it hadn't gone away! When I went back in 2 weeks she booked a biopsy. Now if I have anything sus on my skin, i see a different GP who I just found through trial and error. He has many skin cancer and melanoma patients and would never look at a skin cancer and think it was just dry skin. That is the sort of person you need to find....
I initialy dismissed my recent skin cancer as a normal hormonal skin change that can occur in pregnancy. It looked like a sore that wouldn't heal. It looked as though I had gouged a piece of skin out with my fingernail. It would start to heal, and the next day, it would flare up again. I saw my GP when my DS was about 9 weeks old. He immediately recommended a biopsy.
If there is a skin cancer clinic near you, it may be a good idea to book in. Then you can make your own assessment of their competency. Ask specific questions. If they say 'that looks OK/normal' ask them 'how do you know it is fine/normal'. Point out specific spots that you are worried about, as well as having a full-body examination.
If you don't trust their advice or the explanations seem not to satisfy you, seek a second opinion from a GP (not your current one), or ask your GP for a referral to a dermatologist/skin specialist. Can you ask people in your community, at work, etc. where they go to have their skin checked?. As skin cancer is so common in Australia, ask people over 50 and you are bound to get some useful responses and recommendations of where to go.
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