A dermatologist spotted what Erin Thomas thought were harmless freckles – just in time
Vigilance Makes the Difference
Wanted: The Dream Dermatologist Seeking one rare physician: A dermatologist who refuses to rush. Must be willing to scan every inch of skin, from scalp to sole, with sharp eyes and sharper instincts. Should know when to burn off suspicious spots and when to wait, watch and recheck in three to five months. Ideal candidate will hold the credentials, experience and vigilance to catch melanoma before it catches you – and the vision to pursue innovative treatments when the stakes are high. Only those who treat their patients like whole people, not patchwork parts, need apply.
Finding a dermatologist who fits that description might sound like wishful thinking, but, for Charleston resident Erin Thomas, it has been a lifesaving reality. She credits her victorious skin cancer journey to a doctor who refused to overlook the smallest of details.
A Freckle That Changed
Thomas’ story traces back to 2012, when a freckle that had donned her chest her entire life began to change during pregnancy. “It didn’t alarm me that it was growing,” she recalled. “I even asked my ob/gyn, who said all was well. The spot was just stretching as my skin stretched.”
Comforted by that reassurance, she set aside her concern – until five years later. In 2017, while living with her husband and young daughter in Stuttgart, Germany, Erin visited a dermatologist who examined the freckle with more scrutiny. This time, the news was sobering: Stage 1 melanoma.
“This needs to come off immediately,” the doctor urged. Erin underwent surgery under the care of Dr. Dirk Wessner, whom she still describes as “the best of the best.” The experience, however, left her forever vigilant.
“It made me a believer,” she said. “That experience launched my advocacy for the importance of working with a specialist. An ob/gyn should not be the final word on a skin concern. I see the dermatologist every three to six months. There’s almost always something questionable – we’re always tracking something by taking pictures and keeping an eye on them for changes.”
Hidden Spots and Tiny Clues
The suspicious spots, she explained, are rarely obvious. They are tiny, often hidden and easy to dismiss unless a doctor takes the time to look – really look. “That’s why it’s so important to have a dermatologist who spends more than 90 seconds scanning your body,” she emphasized.
Thomas’ conviction was, yet again, backed by a unique experience over the summer. While bathing suit shopping, she noticed a fleck-of-a-spot, “about the size of a coarse grain of salt,” at the back of her belly button, of all places.
“I thought it was a piece of fluff, but it was a tiny freckle,” she explained.
“This is one we will watch,” Dr. Wessner told her. Three months later, when the freckle had grown ever so slightly, he tested it and confirmed it was melanoma. It was surgery time again.
Late summer, when her family moved back to South Carolina after living for more than a decade in Europe, Thomas learned that she was cancer free again.
Doing Things Scared
In retrospect, Thomas said she wished she had sought the advice of a dermatologist when she got nervous about the childhood freckle. “There is a reason that physicians have their specialties,” she said. At the same time, she is proud of herself for remaining vigilant about her skin.
“I have severe health anxiety already,” said Thomas. “I could naturally put my head in the sand out of fear of something bad. But, instead, I let my nervousness fuel my determination to find out what is happening so I can face it as quickly as possible. Sometimes we have to do things scared.”
Sun, Skin and Precaution
Thomas and her family are, and always will be, “boating people,” she said. “We live on coastal property here, and it was the same in Germany, where we were on a mission to boat in as many countries as we could. I will always love being out in the sun.”
But life in the sun with sensitive skin is a balance. “We have to take precautions, remain aware and get checked more often,” Thomas said, adding that she will “forever be on the hunt for the best sunscreen” while recognizing that sprays are not as effective as lotions.
As Erin Thomas eases back into life as a Lowcountry resident, she is also on the hunt for a dermatologist as vigilant as Dr. Wessner.
ERIN THOMAS At a Glance
Thomas is a messaging strategist and professional writer with more than two decades of experience helping bold entrepreneurs, coaches and business leaders get visible, credible and wildly profitable through powerfully aligned messaging and proven strategy.
She’s the founder of Erin Thomas Communications, where she leads messaging strategy for leaders with a big mission and a small-but-mighty team. Erin also cohosts the Trash Talk Podcast, a smart and spicy show for humans doing life and business their own way. And over on YouTube, she documents the adventure of intentional multigenerational living through MultiGen Magic, her family’s real-life experiment in redefining connection, freedom and home.
Thomas is the author of the bestselling children’s book “Anything But Ordinary,” a moving tale of courage and self-discovery for kids and grownups alike. A Charleston native, she spent more than a decade living and working abroad before returning home in 2025 to build something truly outside the box – with three generations, two houses and one shared dream under one roof.
Learn more at: Erin Thomas Communications; MultiGen Magic YouTube Channel; Trash Talk Podcast; and E2 for Coaches.
By Lisa Breslin
