Skin Reaction Around Mole Removal Area: What’s Normal & Not
When a mole is removed, there may be a reaction around the area.
Do you know how to tell if the reaction is normal or if it means a visit to the doctor?
You have to realize that when a mole is removed, a section of skin is scooped out. (more…)
Precancerous Mole Removed and Growing Back: What this Means?
Is the precancerous mole that you had removed now growing back?
When this happens, the biggest fear is that what’s growing back is melanoma skin cancer.
What would cause the precancerous mole to “grow back”?
The reason is that not every pigment cell was removed. To avoid this problem, the removal should be done with the punch biopsy technique.
A punch biopsy will remove every last melanocyte (pigment cell). However, a punch biopsy will leave more of a scar and requires a few stitches.
The scar will become less noticeable over time, and it’s not even that noticeable in the first place.
These last two points are off-putting to some patients, but the reward is that the precancerous mole will not grow back.
Can a melanoma grow where a precancerous mole was removed?
Of course it can, but this wouldn’t be a growing back of what was removed, but rather, a coincidence that a melanoma was arising in that spot.
“When a biopsy-proven precancerous mole grows back, the decision will be whether to leave it alone or to remove it to ensure clear margins,” says Dr. Tess Mauricio, MD, FAAD, a leading board certified dermatologist from Stanford University Medical School and CEO of MBeautyClinic.com.
“The decision depends on the pathologic diagnosis. If it is a completely benign mole [that has grown back], it is not necessary to remove when it recurs.
“If it is truly precancerous, my recommendation is to remove the rest and ensure margins are clear.”
When Checking Your Skin Every Month for Melanoma…
- Check anywhere that your eyes can see: ear lobes, behind the ears, inside the ear folds, eyelids, belly button, palms, soles of the feet, between the toes, nipples — anywhere where skin is.
- Precancerous moles are also known as “atypical.” If you have many of these, you may want to consider serial digital dermoscopy for annual surveillance for melanoma signs.
Dr. Mauricio is an internationally recognized cosmetic surgeon and the youngest woman to hold the position of President of The San Diego Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: BruceBlaus/CC
How Many Moles Are Too Many? How to Tell?
There is a rule of thumb for determining if you have too many moles – which of course, should be inspected monthly for any suspicious signs of melanoma, which is highly curable when caught early.
How to Tell if You Have too Many Moles
“My rule for having ‘too many moles’ is when the patient cannot remember all the moles that they have, and they need to rely on photos of the body parts to check the moles for changes,” explains Dr. Tess Mauricio, MD, FAAD, a leading board certified dermatologist from Stanford University Medical School and CEO of MBeautyClinic.com.
Many Normal Looking Moles
The protocol for melanoma-surveillance for a person with a bunch of normal and similar moles is not as strict as is the protocol for someone with the same number of naturally funny looking moles (dysplastic nevi).
A nevus (“knee-vus”) is a mole. “Nevi” (rhymes with “Levi”) is the plural.
A person may have many dysplastic nevi, also known as atypical moles. Many of these will net a diagnosis of atypical mole syndrome.
If you use a gym’s locker room a lot, you’ve certainly seen people with this condition.
The pencil eraser sized (and larger) moles are splattered all over their back, and instead of being mostly circular or oval, they look erratic.
Dysplastic mole. Cancer.gov
Dr. Mauricio explains, “Those with a family history of atypical mole syndrome or dysplastic nevus syndrome have to be even more careful,” when it comes to monthly self-exams.
“My threshold to biopsy moles in these individuals is very low. Better to err on the side of giving patients scars from the biopsy than to miss a melanoma.”
• Get to know your moles, up close and personal.
• If you have illustrative talent, draw the ones you can easily inspect – scaling them up many sizes and replicating their shape and relative darkness and lightness variations.
• Use reading glasses if your up-close vision is blurry.
• Take pictures.
• There are apps for mole surveillance, but these are NOT diagnostic tools for melanoma. They are only alerts for detected changes over time.
Professional Mole Mapping
Home mole mapping if you have way too many moles to keep track of is laborious, tedious and anxiety-provoking.
Let a dermatologist, nurse and computer do all the work for you: serial digital dermoscopy!
Your insurance may cover this if your dermatologist diagnoses you with dysplastic nevi.
Serial digital dermoscopy is state-of-the-art technology that compares recent images of your moles to past images and identifies changes.
The technology also assigns a rating for each mole: ranging from completely normal to suspicious enough to recommend a biopsy.
Here’s more on serial digital dermoscopy.
Dr. Mauricio is an internationally recognized cosmetic surgeon and the youngest woman to hold the position of President of The San Diego Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Mikel Ugarte Gil
Can You Get Melanoma by Removing a Mole Yourself?
If you’re hell-bent on removing a mole by yourself, you’d better think twice—because self mole removal may increase your risk of melanoma.
All over the Internet are articles on how to perform a self mole removal at home, particularly with garlic. (more…)
Can a Melanoma Mole Spontaneously Disappear or Regress?
“Yes, there is always a chance for ‘regression’ for both normal mole and melanoma,” says Dr. Tess Mauricio, MD, FAAD, a leading board certified dermatologist from Stanford University Medical School and CEO of MBeautyClinic.com. (more…)
Cancers that Can Mimic TMJ Symptoms & Lead to Misdiagnosis
There are several kinds of cancer that can mimic TMJ symptoms and lead to misdiagnosis.
And in fact, misdiagnoses of TMJ disorder has actually been made in some cases. (more…)
How to Role Play with Kids to Teach Stranger Danger
You can’t just lecture “Don’t talk to strangers” to young children; you must role play and role play good and hard.
Can You Have TMJ Without Jaw Clicking and Popping?
TMJ causes so many symptoms—many you’d never even imagine—that some patients with full-blown TMD never have a single pop or click of their jaw.
Clicking, popping and grinding noises coming from one’s jaw are almost always caused by TMJ disorder. (more…)
Can TMJ Disorder Symptoms Be on Only One Side?
Do not let what seems like TMJ symptoms on only one side of your face frighten you into thinking that this means cancer. (more…)
TMJ Headache vs. Brain Tumor Headache: Symptom Comparison
TMJ disorder can cause a fierce headache, but so can a brain tumor.
In fact, the onset of brain tumor headaches can mimic head pain caused by a temporomandibular joint disorder.
Though the popping and clicking of “TMJ” gets a lot of attention, TMJ disorder (also known as TMD) can also cause considerable headaches, plus pain in the jaw, face and neck.
How a TMJ Headache Feels Compared to a Brain Tumor Headache
“TMJ headache is usually on both sides of the head, worse in the morning and may be associated with trouble eating or moving the jaw,” says Brijesh Chandwani, DMD, BDS, Diplomate, American Board of Orofacial Pain, with Connecticut & NY TMJ.
However, a brain tumor headache can also be on both sides of the head AND worse in the morning!
During sleep fluid builds up in the brain, caused by the mass, and this fluid creates pressure that, come morning, manifests as a headache which, as the day goes on, subsides. But brain cancer can also cause headaches at any time.
“While TMJ headaches are uncommonly associated with brain cancer, failed treatment response and symptoms such as tingling or numbness sensation, dizziness, sudden onset of pain should warrant a visit to a neurologist,” advises Dr. Chandwani.
“I had a patient several years ago who had headaches along with sudden restriction of his jaw and he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor.
“Some patients with brain cancer just feel a headache and a lack of normal sensation in the jaw and head region (abnormal ear or taste sensation, etc.).”
If a person has headaches (and orofacial pain) that are attributed to TMJ disorder, and TMD treatments have failed, then a visit to a neurologist is in order to see if a brain tumor might be causing these symptoms.
A paper by Levitt et al in The Journal of Craniomandibular & Sleep Practice states:
Dr. Chandwani has 15+ years of experience focusing on TMJ disorders and sleep disorders.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
