does anyone see a derm?

pawcall · June 2010

I've never been to a dermatologist before, but am starting to think I probably should because my body is mole city and they're NEVER been looked at. DH is convinced that one on my back is getting darker and I want to get it checked out. Is it worth it to do it now? Will they remove a "bad" mole while you're pregnant?

izzourclue · June 2010

I go for an annual mole patrol. Its not a big deal. They look at your whole body, note the size of certain moles etc... If they see one of concern, they will either tell you to monitor it and come back in a certain period of time to check for change or they will remove it and test it for abnormal or cancerous cells.

I would imagine they would leave it up to you if you are comfortable with having it removed right away or not. I don't know of any reason to wait. They just use a local anesthetic shot and cut it out and stitch it up. About as serious as having a cavity filled. I've had 2 removed. No big deal at all.

Edited for spelling

pawcall · June 2010

a mole patrol is exactly what I want! Do I need to point out ones I'm concerned about, or will they just look me over head to toe and tell me what looks suspicious?

izzourclue · June 2010

cdobry01:
a mole patrol is exactly what I want! Do I need to point out ones I'm concerned about, or will they just look me over head to toe and tell me what looks suspicious?

You can point out any you think may be changing. A good derm will check you very thoroughly. They should lift your hair and check your scalp. They should check between fingers and toes, bottoms of your feet etc... Also, you should take a look at any area covered by underwear (even your areas that don't get sun). They usually only check there if you say you have moles there. I actually have a couple on my girl parts and have never tanned nude. Embarrassed

JDoe11111 · June 2010

I'm very fair skinned and should go every year, but it's a little more sporadic due to insurance hassles. I've had at least 3 biopsies (not bad - and I'm super wimpy), a couple cut out, and a spot I wasn't even worried about ended up being cancerous. I had moh's surgery to remove it a couple years back and it wasn't horrible - definitely glad I caught it early.

I do think they seem to cut pretty freely (I call my doc "the butcher") but there's no way to know other than biopsying what is normal, abnormal (they usually still remove, even though not cancerous), and cancer.

I'm not going in during my pregnancy just because I dont want to deal with the added stress, but I've been in in the past few years so I'm not very worried about it.

pawcall · June 2010

good info, thanks!

I'll investigate my girly area myself and make sure they check over everything else. most of the ones i've noticed are on my face, hands/arms, and back.

izzourclue · June 2010

cdobry01:

good info, thanks!

I'll investigate my girly area myself and make sure they check over everything else. most of the ones i've noticed are on my face, hands/arms, and back.

The backs of the legs and arms are actually the most common places to have abnormal moles due to unintended sun exposure. People forget to put sunscreen back there. Also, FWIW, while you are pregnant is possibly the most important time to see a derm if you are prone to freckling and moles. Your skin is way more susceptible to sun damage and the hormones can kick start cell changes.

As PP said, if there is a suspicious one with irregular color and /or border, or larger than a pencil eraser etc... they will most likely suggest removal for byopsy. They usually just remove the whole thing because it doesn't make much sense to leave some and have to go back in if it comes back abnormal. Also, if you have one come back abnormal, don't panic. Doesn't mean its cancer, just means it could become cancer if not removed. No stress, no big deal.

uklawgirl · June 2010

I am a melanoma survivor and I say absolutely get checked. If nothing else, your doctor will establish a baseline for your body and will make notes as to what your moles look like and how big they are, so in the future if you start feeling weird about one of them you will have something to compare them to.

I knew I had melanoma because there are a bunch of freckles on my left arm that I've had all my life and one of them started to change, and then it started to itch. My dermatologist told me it was nothing, and I told him I didn't care, I had a bad feeling about it and I wanted it off. He was certainly sheepish when he had to call me with the lab results. It doesn't hurt to have a mole taken off so be sure to be your own advocate.

pawcall · June 2010

I have one that I KNOW has to go. I've had it all my life, but it's huge and puffy and not uniform in color or shape and I want it GONE. As for the rest, I want them to take a look and tell me what to do.

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does anyone see a derm?

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