There’s no denying just how alarming it can be to look in the mirror one day and notice what appears to be a new skin growth or a mole that has undergone something of a radical change in appearance.

In situations like these, people must be certain to schedule an appointment with a medical professional — typically a dermatologist — who has a wealth of knowledge and resources at his or her disposal to determine whether the skin growth or mole in question is cancerous.

The unfortunate reality, however, is that despite a treating physician’s extensive training and other advancements in diagnostic medicine, otherwise unacceptable medical errors in diagnosing skin cancer can occur.

For instance, the dermatologist may make an initial misdiagnosis or fail to perform the necessary biopsies, two grave medical mistakes that can serve to postpone treatment, allowing what was once an isolated and otherwise treatable type of cancer to spread.

This, in turn, can necessitate rounds of enervating and costly treatments for a now painful condition that may not even prove successful.

All of this serves to underscore the very important point that if you believe that a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of skin cancer has caused you to suffer unnecessarily or resulted in the death of a loved one, it is imperative to consider speaking with an experienced legal professional who can seek the justice you deserve.

At Richards & Richards LLP, our firm has extensive experienced handling cases involving delayed diagnoses of skin cancer and misdiagnoses of skin cancer. We know how to uncover whether medical professionals were negligent, and whether this negligence prevented you from securing the treatment you or a loved one so desperately needed to treat your skin cancer.

Please visit our website to learn more.

In the meantime, whenever you have any concerns regarding an abnormal skin growth or mole, please contact a dermatologist or other medical professional as soon as possible.