Yesterday I made a quick stop to see my dermatologist. The reason: to have him take a look at a few tiny moles on my back. Granted, I was pretty certain they were nothing to be overly concerned with, but I'm a firm believer in being proactive in my health care, so I thought it was at least having a doctor take a look at them.

As I anticipated, they were thankfully nothing more than common moles. Still, he took some photos of them, measured them, and told me to keep an eye on them over the next six months to a year. If they grow or change color during that time, he said it may warrant taking a second look.

As I left, the doctor shook my hand and gave me a pamphlet on moles. Not exactly the most interesting piece of literature, for sure, but it contained some worthwhile information about how to recognize early warning signs of malignant melanoma in your moles. Based on what I read, dermatologists suggest using the ABCDs of melanoma when examining your moles.

Asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other half.

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It seems that patients seeking an appointment with a dermatologist to ask about a potentially cancerous mole have to wait substantially longer than those seeking Botox for wrinkles. In a study published online on Tuesday by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the average wait time for someone with a suspicious mole in Boston was a horrendous 55 days longer than someone wanting to smooth out their wrinkles.

Even when patients reported a changing mole and were willing to pay out-of-pocket for a dermatology visit, the median wait time was 18 days longer than for botox in the 12 metropolitan areas that the research was conducted.

While I have no opinion on botox treatments, I do feel that the priority should be placed on the patients with life threatening concerns ... as one of those people who has to track color changes or irregular borders (yes, I was blessed with moles) and who has regular biopsies, I know that waiting is the worst part. And, while waiting times of a few weeks or more for a suspicious mole may not add up to significant progression of skin cancer if it is, indeed, present ... it's the not knowing that people have a hard time dealing with.

We are constantly told that early detection of cancer is key ... something is clearly wrong here.

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If you have an important skin issue, like acne, an eczema flare-up, or even a suspicious-looking mole or freckle, good luck getting in to see a dermatologist. A recent experiment by researchers in California confirmed what many have suspected for years: there just aren't enough dermatologists available to meet the rising demand. The researchers called around to make appointments for a "changing mole," and in the vast majority of cases were given really long wait times -- upwards of one to two months. They attribute the shortage to a general increase in patients seeking care and treatment for skin issues (everything from skin cancer to Botox injections) as opposed to fewer dermatologists on the scene.

On the good side -- the health care field just keeps getting better and better as far as career opportunities go.

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