Just making a new thread - to not divert the other thread:
Cholesterol and all that gubbins...If you don't mind me asking, how long and what ages were you living in tropical areas?
skin 'omas' are my albatross, having grown up on a farm in australia. Not found any yet, I just check frequently and hope.
mrcharly - I lived in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe (latitude approx 17-19°S) from age 4 to 19+. I'm a couple of yrs older than you; had my first danger mole removed with wide excision aged 22. I'd hardly ever tried to look at my back (in a mirror) , and actually discovered the mole while I was sitting on a bench in Hyde Park feeling something slightly itchy on my back (but was quite shocked when I actually looked at it later that day). Fortunately caught in time; GP had me into day surgery at the hospital within about 2 days.
Probably best not to get overly worried, and of course it depends on your skin type and the level of exposure*, but the main thing is, as you're doing, to regularly check for any 'lesions' that change in size, shape, colour or itchiness/bleeding. One thing you can do, if you have a reasonable camera, is take wide, and also detailed pics of back, legs, arms etc, to help with general skin surveillance (as a 'baseline'). Or get someone to check you over every so often; I still book up with the GP for a skin session every year.
*My brother who has a similar skin type, and was in Africa from an earlier age and longer, has only had a minor lesion on his arm, so it may come down to say, me having being sun burnt more often.