Sassy, a person I used to work with ( retired and 62) now has melanoma in three places and none of them are on the surface of the skin. I don't mean to scare you. I saw that you were 58 and I am in my 50s too.

I believe its in their neck, abdomen and liver. Treatment is at Sloan Kettering and the course of chemo is not working so now they are adding a clinical trial for something else to try to make the chemo more effective.

This person has had PET scans to monitor the melanoma over the years.

The intial melanoma was on the scalp. This person loved to sail. That first melanoma was probably more than 10 years ago.

So I agree, a dermatologist scanning your skin is not enough. I hope this helps you.