Yes, there is technology that can catch melanoma very early -- much earlier than what a dermatologist's handheld scope can detect. The waiting game with moles is over; you do not have to wait till [...]
Actinic keratosis is a so-called precancerous lesion caused by sun damage. Can these lesions be prevented with application of retin A? Retin A is also known as retinoic acid. To find out if retin A [...]
Does melanoma risk differ in blondes who always tan and blondes who always burn? If you’ve heard that blonde hair is a risk factor for melanoma, perhaps you’ve wondered about olive skinned people who have [...]
Learn more about stage 1 melanoma and its appearance. It's a smart question: Can stage 1 melanoma look like a normal (benign) mole? “A stage 1 melanoma can look like a normal or featureless mole [...]
Maybe you’ve heard that melanoma can be blue, but how often is this? What is the answer to how common or often is a melanoma blue? “Not common. They are rare, aggressive and often lethal," [...]
Find out if neurological symptoms at time of head trauma that soon vanish are predictive of chronic subdural hematoma even with normal CT. Is a person more likely to develop a chronic subdural hematoma if, [...]
Learn more about the odds of an elderly patient on Coumadin developing chronic subdural hematoma after hitting their head. It’s not a pretty trio: 1) Coumadin therapy 2) Getting hit in the head 3) Elderly [...]
A neurosurgeon answers the question of what percent of people with a normal CT scan after hitting their head develop a chronic subdural hematoma. Out of all the people who have a normal CT scan [...]
Is there a time of day that symptoms of chronic subdural hematoma typically begin? You may be wondering if there’s a particular time of day that a person, who’s destined to develop a chronic subdural [...]
Ever wonder if those horrid lip jobs are the result of botched collagen injections? You’ve probably seen photos of women with grossly enlarged lips that go beyond the infamous “trout pout.” Can collagen injections ruin [...]
A plastic surgeon explains what works best to medically make lips plumper and fuller. There’s more than one way to make lips plumper and fuller medically, but is one particular way the best? Let’s face [...]
If you’ve discovered a new mole and you’re 60-plus, don’t wait to get this checked out by a dermatologist. If you’re over age 60 you may be noticing new spots arising on your skin on [...]
People of color are at higher risk for melanoma (skin cancer) in their fingernails. Melanoma can arise in the fingernail, or nail bed, and is called acral lentiginous melanoma. Below is a photo of what this [...]
What if a melanoma doesn’t conform to the ABCDE guidelines? Melanoma can pass as a normal mole simply because there’s always a beginning to this disease process. In very early melanoma, the ABCDE guidelines don’t [...]
Blonde hair (which usually goes with fair skin) is a melanoma risk factor, but what about for biracial people with olive or caramel skin? How often have you read that “blonde hair and blue eyes” [...]
A dermatologist discusses how often a mole with melanoma is a black color. I wondered how common is it that a melanoma lesion is black — not dark brown, but true black. And can a [...]
You may know that having many moles is a melanoma risk factor, but is this still a risk if you have a dark complexion? Have you ever seen a person with a dark complexion and [...]
A lentigo can pass as a mole or birthmark; can it ever become a melanoma? Whether or not a lentigo, which often looks just like a small mole or birth mark, could morph into melanoma, [...]
There are several possible causes for the white, slimy and sticky substance that forms on the inner walls of your mouth. Though experiencing a white, gooey substance on the inner walls of your mouth is [...]
A dermatologist explains causes of itchy arms and legs during winter and what you can do about this. “Winter itch is extremely common,” says Gary Goldenberg, MD, of Goldenberg Dermatology, and assistant professor of dermatology and pathology [...]
Can a non-healing scab be benign or is it always cancer? You’ve probably heard for years that one of the classic signs of cancer is “a scab that won’t heal.” But is a non-healing scab [...]
If you need a microdiscectomy but are not suitable for general anesthesia, this procedure CAN be done using regional. You may fear general or be a poor candidate for it, but this doesn’t mean you [...]
A spine doctor explains about medications for the pain of sciatic nerve pressure. Sciatic nerve impingement can be caused by a herniated disc or a spasming piriformis muscle. Either way, the pain has been described [...]
How can a patient do physical therapy for a herniated disc if it hurts too much to exercise? What if you have a herniated disc and find that the physical therapy exercises are impossible to [...]
The risk of stroke seems to differ depending on type of transient ischemic attack symptoms a person experiences. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a mini stroke, when a clot forms in a blood vessel in [...]
If your body suddenly feels like it wants to pull or veer to one side, could this mean a transient ischemic attack? If you’ve recently experienced the sensation that your body was pulling to one side, [...]
Is there a special test that can tell if you just had a transient ischemic attack? A TIA (transient ischemic attack) is a mini stroke — and even though the symptoms may vanish after only [...]
If you think a TIA that causes only one symptom isn’t as serious as a multi-symptom transient ischemic attack, you’re in for a shock. Suppose you have sudden-onset blurry vision but no other symptoms, and you [...]
A transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke) is a scary thing, and a doctor will use a special instrument to peer into the patient's eyes. This will help the physician, giving information or clues to see if [...]
What is the point at which it’s time to seriously consider surgery to remedy a herniated disc in the low back? "Learning to live with the pain" is the mantra heard by many people who [...]
Find out from a doctor if a low back herniated (bulging) disc can be untreatable. A bulging disc puts pressure on nerves that come out of the spinal cord. A bulging disc occurs when the [...]
Find out what’s involved in surgery to treat a herniated (bulging) disc. A herniated disc is common in the general population, but not all cases produce symptoms. When symptoms do develop, they include the following: Pain [...]
A cardiologist names some likely causes for chest pain and jaw pressure in the middle of the night. The cause of pain in your chest or pressure in your jaw that awakens you in the middle [...]
Here is what a pain specialist doctor recommends as best exercises for a herniated disc in the low back (lumbar region). A herniated disc in the low back (lumbar spine) is very common, and also goes [...]
Knowledge Is Power Founded in 2012, Scarysymptoms.com has established itself as a leader for providing visitors in-depth information about their symptoms -- not the template information of most other medical sites, but information straight from [...]
A pulmonary embolism is suspected, and the patient is being taken to the CT scanner to confirm this. The D-dimer was positive and the patient is exhibiting the classic symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. But [...]
Is it normal to have trouble breathing and chest pain after successful treatment of a pulmonary embolism? Might these symptoms reflect anxiety over the pulmonary embolism, or is it more likely that this means you [...]
Would you know what to do, besides call 911, if someone near you seemed to be showing signs of a pulmonary embolism? After all, a PE can kill in minutes. “Sudden onset of shortness of [...]
How many hospital patients would die from a pulmonary embolism every year if from this point on, all surgery patients received an IVC filter -- patients undergoing surgeries that increase the risk of a DVT? Surgeries [...]
Yes, a person can have a normal stress test but a heart attack shortly after, says a cardiologist. Ever wonder if you can have normal stress test results, then suffer a heart attack soon afterwards? [...]
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