Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And if it is just a mole? Nobody needs people to try to conjure up scenarios for why other people shouldnt do things. If you dont trust your judgement, then you shouldnt do it.
Can you really tell what's a mole and what's cancer?
If you are able to see a dermatologist, I would do so. I get my skin checked twice a year. I have a lot of moles due to sun exposure. The dermatologist can remove the mole and have it tested. One of the "moles" I had turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma. They were able to treat me with a technique called Mohs. At this point, I'm a bit on the paranoid side. If I see a spot that doesn't look quite right I get it looked at.
The advice get the offending spots diagnosed by a dermatologist is sound. You can refuse their treatment and still treat it at home after you know what it is.
I had a what I considered a smallish pink raised spot on the back of my knee that I thought was a pimple until it never healed. Apparently the back of the knee is a common place for a woman to get a melanoma (tho they are not generally pink), but I was unaware of this at the time of my biopsy, and my doctor did a great job not scaring me. I was shocked by my 4 inch long scar after surgery! That bit of pink I saw was like the island top of an undersea volcano. I’d no idea moles could reach so far and wide under the skin.
Fortunately for me, my scar has all but faded away, but that one “graduated” me to biannual dermatologist appointments.
Those moles, skin tags, and liver spots should stay on your skin until you see a doctor, according to a new alert from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The alert warns against the use of over-the-counter products for removing moles, seborrheic keratoses (wart-like growths that are often brown), or skin tags, emphasizing that none are approved by the FDA for at-home use.
Dermatologists and the FDA say these products may lead to scarring and disfigurement.
Risks include "skin injuries, infection requiring antibiotics, scarring, and delayed skin cancer diagnosis and treatment," according to the alert, which adds that the agency has received reports of people "who developed permanent skin injuries and infections after using products marketed as mole or skin tag removers. "
That spot on your nose...it's hard to tell from a photo on the internet, but offhand it looks like a sun damage spot. Not a mole. Unless it's been there since you were a child.
I have a few spots on my cheek like that, that just appeared about a year ago. They are sun damage. Mild chemical peels are said to get rid of those. Or targeted laser zaps...I think it's called IPL? I had IPL done years ago for a red blotch between my eyebrows and broken blood vessels on my face. It worked great. The red blotch returned after years (I don't know what it is), but it wasn't there for many years. I may have IPL again...maybe it'll help those sun damage spots.
The zapper...I'd be cautious about using it on my face. I'd use it on other parts of my body, though. But I read up on it, and it's not for what I had. I had keratosis things (2 of them) on my back....they have to be frozen off, so my dermatologist did that. I have cherry angiomas...they can't be zapped at home because they bleed a lot. I haven't had those dealt with, and they don't bother me much. I had some tiny brown mole-like dots on my upper abdomen and around breasts....my dermatologist froze those off. Insurance paid for the keratosis, but not the little brown dots. The little brown dots looked like moles but technically were not, I thnk. They were very dark, very tiny, flat with the skin (not a bump), and would appear in widespread small clusters.
I'm brunette. Apparently these sorts of skin mole-like things are a thing with brunettes. Fairer skinned/blonde women have more trouble with freckles and sun spots and other sun damage.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
