Have you ever had a mole or spot removed?

Mush-Tastic

I had a full-body mole check/cancer screen last week as my derm had found some suspicious spots. And given the history in my family of skin cancer, they didn't want to let it go.

She kinda freaked me out about a particular spot on my upper thigh of my leg and took a big chunk out right then and there for a biopsy. I've been mildly freaking about it all week. It's a spot that I, being stupid, knew was very different than the rest of my body and I watched it change and grow for over a year. Yep...I'm lame.

My mind is racing. I haven't slept very well in days.

 

littlemissflip

I've had a million moles removed.  Ok, more like 15 or 20.  My family has a history of skin cancer, and I was really stupid about sun exposure as a kid/teenager, so I've always known that skin cancer was more of a "when, not if" thing for me. 

It sucks, but try not to freak out.  Of the 15+ that I've had removed, nearly all of them were non-cancerous.  A few of them were "pre-cancerous", which I think means that the cells were starting to behave in a cancery way, but it wasn't yet cancerous. Those are ones that we just keep an eye on (do they grow back after removed, etc.)

 My sister was just diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.  She had this little scabby wound on her stomach that just never healed. She had it for something like 5 years before she FINALLY had a dermatologist biopsy it.  They've removed it, and she's just fine.  Basal cell carcinoma is very slow-growing.  (Melanoma, of course, is much scarier.)

I'm actually over-due for a mole-check myself.  I stopped going for awhile before my wedding, because I didn't want any new scars!  But it's been 2.5 years since my wedding, so really... it's time.

Oh also, after my mole-removal wounds started healing up, I used Bio-Oil on them to help prevent scarring.  It seems to help!

 ETA: I forgot to add: good luck!  I'll be thinking healthy non-cancer thoughts for you and hope you get (good) biopsy results quickly!  Even though I said "try not to freak out", I totally freak out with these kinds of things too... it's hard not to.

mplsbride31

I go every 6 months and have had several biopsies, with a good percentage of them coming back basal cell carcinomas. I don't know why I'm so prone to it, but I have had several of them. The good thing is that you got it checked out! Hopefully it shouldn't take them too much longer to get you results. Will be thinking of you, I know firsthand how stressful it can be:(

 

Aimothy

I just had three removed last Spring.  One of them, on the back of my head, had been growing and changing over the course of a year or two.  Like you, I ignored what I knew was something I should have checked out a long time ago.  Thankfully, even though the shape and texture had changed, it all came back clear. 

I'll be thinking happy thoughts for you! It's a stressful wait, but hopefully your doctor will get back to you soon!

wittyschaffy

I haven't had it done but I sent DH in last spring.  He's just a moley guy and there were a couple that seemed unusal to me.  He had one removed/tested and if it came back pre-cancerous, he'd have a couple more removed but it was OK. 

purplecrayon

I had one removed a few years ago.  It was a raised mole that had changed color & texture.  Even though I have no family history of skin cancer they removed it just to be on the safe side.  It was about 2 inches below my bra line centered just below where my ribs come together & almost as big around as a pencil.

FWIW, I'm not a squeamish person when it comes to stuff like that but I had a really hard time with it after the fact.  It was really sensitive & changing the bandage grossed me out.  There were times I had to have my H do it cause I just couldn't stand the thought of it.  I really have no idea why.

 Good luck & I hope it's okay!

beautifulevergreengirl

I had two moles removed (one on my lower thigh and one on the middle of my back) in 2007.  They were both classified as "dysplastic" meaning that the cells were looking susupicious and starting to change, but nothing was cancerous.  Part of me wishes I had waited to have them removed, since I do have some scarring that is rather noticeable.  However, it's probably smart and safer to take action early, rather than waiting for cancer to strike.