Anyone experience a local recurrance with In situ?n

[Onlymej]

Hi. About 6 months age I found out I had a small lentino maligna, in situ on my arm, and it was excised with a wle soon after. No melanoma cells were found in the excised specimen. My dermatologist was very optimistic and said the lesion was very early and he would see me every 6 months. Went to him end of October, everything was fine. This Sunday I looked at my scar, it’s hard to see because its back near my elbow. There was a very small dark dot in the scar! I am terrified. What is the actual chance this is a reoccurance, and what does it mean? My sister looked at the spot today with a magnifying glass and said it looks like scab, like I just scratched myself. It’s really small so it’s hard to tell. I am going to derm tomorrow am. Help.

UPDATE: just got back from the dermatologist. Worrywort, you were 100% right! It was a stich trying to push its way back up! He took out the stitches and said that is just a scab, don’t pick at it it will go away on its own. He told me not to get so upset if I see pigment in the scar, the moles and freckles can come back, but come see him, otherwise, just see me in 6 months. I feel soooo much better!! Thank you for listening. Just when I think I have a handle on this, I really don’t.

[cohanja]

The scar will go through a lot of changes, color changes, etc….so don’t let that freak you out. I always would think every color change in the scar was some sort of recurrence. It wasn’t, it was just the scar changing a lot. Doctor said recurrence would not be that fast, first of all. I actually had a biopsy done on an area of the scar that was colored darker, but turned out to be ruptured hair follicle.

[Onlymej]

Okay thank you. This is small, like a pin point, but almost raised a little bit. I am scared.

[cohanja]

at least you’ll be at the Dr tomorrow morning to get it checked out

waiting is always the hardest part of anything with all of this

[Worrywart]

The scar will change a lot during the first year. maybe a stitch is coming to the surface? or it could just be a freckle that is benign re-growing. odds are it is nothing. I’ve had my scar biopsied 3 times since my dx and it was always nothing. i also had a lentigo maligna melanoma in situ on my arm – mine was almost 5 yrs ago. I had the surgeon take slightly larger margins than required because This particular type does have a higher local recurrence rate. Regardless – of all types this one is a low risk type to have.

[Onlymej]

Okay thank you Worrywort, it kind of dies look there are blue stitches coming up from right near this spot and also on the other end? I just want him to tell me it’s nothing to worry about…..

[Author]

Posts