I have had a mostly round, light brown mole (I guess it's a mole) on my forearm for a number of years. It's a little larger than the end of a bic pen, but it seems to have grown slightly larger over the years, and isn't as symmetrical as it was. Just today I noticed some red raised bumps inside it, and the whole thing is slightly more raised than it was. I've spent many years in the sun, so I'm very concerned that this is skin cancer. The problem is, the few dermatologists I've called aren't taking new patients, and even if they did (I was begging!), they wouldn't be able to see me for almost 2 months! My questions: could 2 months be too late if it is cancerous? Will an ER see me, and if so, do a biopsy (I'll pay whatever!)? Is there some "public" type of dermatology clinic that "has to" take you? I do have an appointment with my regular physician, but do they have the expertise for this? What if they won't do a biopsy? Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! (I live in MD if that helps)
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Can't get a dermatologist to see me!
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if you had it for years, i doubt that it's cancerous. i think 2 months is a reasonable amount of time to wait. also, if you have an appointment with your regular doctor, you can ask them if they can call a dermatologist for you and ask for an earlier appointment - they can do this, but typically only if he/she is concerned that your mole may be serious. i doubt they would want to get another doctor (the dermatologist in this case) overscheduled if it's just a regular mole...and i don't know what you mean by "paying whatever", but once i had a biopsy and my insurance paid like $200 or so for it, and it was nothing... so i don't know if you want to pay that much...
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I just wanted to add that a mole that you have had for years can turn cancerous. Hopefully your regular doctor can get you scheduled quicker. If not I'd be looking around to see if you can get an earlier appointment.
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Thanks for your response. Yes, I would pay $200. But the good news is it turns out my father has a friend who is a dermatologist and he said he'd be happy to see me. So I've got an appointment for Friday morning! As for having this for years, what I meant was I had this spot for years as a flat, light brown, symmetrical spot, and just recently it changed to a larger, slightly asymmetrical, raised spot with red bumps in it. I thought one of the symptoms was a spot that changed. Anyway, I am hoping you are right and it is nothing!