At the age of 21, Victoria is more switched on about her skin than most people her age. She has family working in the melanoma space and as a result has been getting regular skin checks for around 5 years. It was over a catch up coffee with a friend who had just had a melanoma removed, that Victoria noticed a new spot on her foot. Lucky for Victoria, her regular skin check was due and already booked. At that skin check, her Doctor did a small biopsy and the results were confirmed as melanoma, so a wider excision was needed to ensure all of the melanoma was removed.
Victoria was very pleased to find out she had clear margins from the wide excision and the melanoma was in-situ.
The mole on her foot was removed in December 2020, and when we spoke to Victoria in April 2021, she had a further mole removed from her arm which appeared to be changing. This mole was biopsied and was NOT a melanoma.
Victoria is grateful that her melanoma was found early and could be removed with no further treatment required. She will continue to have regular skin checks to ensure she is checking and protecting her skin.
Her message for other young people who think this may never happen to them is "melanoma is a risk - make sure when you're out in the sun you wear sunscreen and cover yourself and make sure you keep an eye on the moles on your body and if you see anything unusual don't hesitate to get your skin checked by a Doctor."
