Hi all,

Another user asked if I'd be interested in sharing this over here from my original post in r/Cancer. I'm always happy to oblige in sharing, educating, and discussing health matters with others so they can hopefully take the right course of action as early as possible!

As you can all see from the photo, this is a melanoma I have that started life as a 5mm x 5mm circular mole on my inner left thigh. I'd had it all my life and was never concerned about it. About 2-3 weeks ago, that all changed, and it started presenting as you see it here - it measures in at about 10mm x 9mm now, has rough uneven edges, and grew darker and thicker in some spots.

I saw my GP and they referred me to a specialist dermatologist for a biopsy. That confirmed Stage 1a Melanoma - which I have to say, is a very good diagnosis and easily treatable, but unfortunately it is still cancerous so the worries and fears that come with that have still affected me.

I'm waiting to be booked in for surgery, with an ETA of 4-6 weeks time, to get the entire melanoma and surrounding tissue excised completely. With any luck, that should be the end of it and I can be declared cancer-free following a further check-up and some more tests run on the excised mass - just to see if it hasn't spread further.

My main takeaway for anyone reading this is check your moles and make sure you're safe in the sun! I'm not much of the tanning type and I still got skin cancer, so it's worth being vigilant no matter what :)

Peace and love