2 and a half years ago I noticed "something" on the back of my right leg behind my knee. I had never noticed it before and immediately went to the GP to get it checked out. The GP told me he had no idea what it was but it was perfectly normal. I felt uneasy about his "diagnosis" but left it 6 months and went to another GP who again told me it was just a sun blemish...nothing to worry about. 8 months later I again went to another GP to get it rechecked as I was convinced still that there was something wrong....this new GP told me I appeared very anxious, that the spot was fine but for my own mental health she would remove it so I could just forget about it. On the 14th of January 2013 I received a phone call from the same GP telling me I had melanoma. luckily it was a superficial spreading melanoma and had only recently become invasive, just less than 1mm deep, classed as a stage 1. I have recently had further surgery and skin grafting and will continue to have 3-6 monthly skin checks for 5 years, in the hope that if it has spread or a new one develops it will be caught early.
Please Please Please, do not take risks with your health, if you have a concern get it checked by a specialist. make sure you slip slop slap and that your children learn the importance of skin protection. Melanoma is classed as Australia's cancer as we have the leading diagnosis and death rate worldwide! It is not worth the risk