How Often Should I See My Dermatologist?

By Scott Matheny

3 min read

My dermatologist said to me, “Well, it looks like we got all the skin cancer out. Those melanomas are tricky, but as you know, we took out a lot of skin and were not able to close the surgical incision. Come back in a few weeks, and my physician’s assistant will remove the stitches."

Waiting a year to see the dermatologist?

"After that, I will see you in a year or so. I think I am going on a cruise at this time next year, so it might be longer.”

Wait, what? A year after melanoma? Shouldn’t I see you before then?

More recently, another dermatologist said to me, “I froze some spots and removed some precancerous-looking moles for biopsy. Call the office at the end of next week to get the biopsy results and I will see you in a year.”

Wait, cryotherapy and mole removal means waiting another year for an appointment? You don’t want to see me sooner? How does that work? Did you remove skin cancer?

You want to see me in three months?

Even more recently, another dermatologist explained, “Everything looks good. No skin cancer at all. Make an appointment for three months.”

Wait, I need to see you in three months after a completely clean report? Melanoma got me a full year, and you want to see me quarterly for a clean appointment? This makes no sense to me.

Yes, all three scenarios have happened to me. I have been completely bewildered by how often I should see my dermatologist. As a melanoma survivor, I have always wanted to be cautious, but what is the best course of action given my medical history, my current situation, and the future I want? Let’s break this down.

What should determine the schedule?

Here is what I believe should be taken into consideration when deciding how often to see a dermatologist.

What are you comfortable with? How often do you want to be seen based on how you feel about your current situation? Ultimately, the patient should have the most say, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out this way.
What can you afford? Some insurance plans limit the amount of physician visits and will not cover anything beyond those limits. Many of us do not have insurance at all, and this limits our options.
How often can the doctor see you? Many people simply don’t have easy access to dermatologists. Sometimes, they live far away and can’t take off work. Sometimes, there are too few dermatologists for a given population, and just getting an appointment is a challenge.
How often does the doctor want to see you? Dermatologists may have different approaches when it comes to seeing patients. Some are very cautious, and others less so. This could be based on their training, experience, or other factors. It takes two to make an appointment, and some dermatologists want to see their patients more often than others.

Working with your dermatologist to adjust the visit schedule

Here are some suggestions.

Communicate with your doctor. Tell them about your preferences and sensitivities. Ask them questions and get clarity if the time between appointments seems too long or too brief.
Ask them if it is okay to set up in-between appointments if you are concerned about a mole, spot, or lesion. Most dermatologists will try to fit you in, especially if you have had a past skin cancer diagnosis.
If you have insurance, get a clear understanding of what is and what is not covered. If you do not have insurance, then do some research to find discounted or free clinics in your area. Maybe a local university with a medical school can assist you.
Have a conversation with your employer about coverage or being given time off to travel for an out of town appointment.

What about you? What are your thoughts on this?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The SkinCancer.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.

ssavoie1 Member
Are you seeing all three dermatologists at the same time? Perhaps knowing that one of them will see you in 3 month intervals slows down the others? If you are only seeing one and they want to wait a year after melanoma, I think that's too long. I went every 3 months after my melanomas and recently switched to every 6 months after a couple years of clear visits. Maybe the standards have changed recently or something but I definitely would want to be seen more than once per year.
TINA23 Member
I went through this with my dermatologist’s office. He said to come back in six months, but when I got to the front desk they said I couldn’t get in for 9 months. I complained to my doc and said with the high risk I am for squamous and basaI (44 years of skin cancer) I needed to be seen every 3 months. He said from now on his assistant will personally schedule me and bypass the front desk. Hopefully, that might work for you.
moonmomma Member
I agree sometimes you don’t know what your doctor is thinking and it’s frustrating and doesn’t make any sense to you.
JohnL Member
Scott Like you I was diagnosed with Melanoma - Stage 1B in October ‘22 - and had the tumor excised WITHOUT Sentinel Lymph Node dissection. Because I decided against SLN surgery with the melanoma removal I was encouraged to start regularly seeing a dermatologist more frequently than my 9-12 month history. I also got frustrated that I was not given better direction on formal Standard of Care follow up post melanoma/no SLN. After some due diligence I was fortunate to a find a Health Care Professional affiliated with <a href='https://Melanoma.org' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>Melanoma.org</a> -Whitney Baylor (wbaylor@melanoma.org)- who works in an active melanoma center that would help me understand the current Standard of Care for surveillance of post operative melanoma excision. I learned that if I was their patient I would be seeing a Dermatologist every 3 months and a Cutaneous (Medical) Oncologist every 6 months with an annual CT scan - all for two years post op. I have adopted this surveillance plan per Whitney’s sharing and my physicians are on board. What I have learned thus far is that it is better to set 3 month appointments for a year out with my Dermatologist. Also, I understand the value of having any images done by radiology prior to my melanoma surgery or in surveillance to be copied to a disk for me to have available on me for Medical Oncology visits.
unsunfun Member
Good advice. When it comes to your skin, go with your gut. If it doesn't sound right to you, communicate that to the doctor. Some dermatologists really specialize in the worst challenges of skin cancer. That's who you want. Skin is more than what's on the surface so you want a doctor who goes beyond the freeze and the zap.