athomemom Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 :confused: He's had the mole for a long time & until this year I took both boys in for yearly check-ups. The doctor told me it wasn't necessary at their ages to bring them in yearly any longer. Good thing, I guess. We moved across the country nine months ago. We are established with a doctor here, but neither of the boys have been yet. Anyway, I was hugging my ds goodnight and felt the mole through his shirt. Well at 13, I don't see his backside any more. I asked him to pull up his shirt so I could check out his mole. This particular mole has always been larger than other moles that he has. It looks like their are a couple of black areas on the dark brown of the mole & maybe a little flat area beside of it. I am freaking out! Please pray, tell me something to allay my fears. I will call the doctor first thing in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 go ahead and have it checked, always a good thing. If it is anything, most are topical. at this age, it's probably harmless. I have a son who has stereotypical "red-haired" skin (even though his hair has turned blonde. his redhaired sister doesn't have as many moles/freckles/nevi as he does). He was born with a dime-sized nevis on his thigh, that grew, thickened, and darkened as he got older. I took him to a dermatologist who specialized in skin cancer. It was nothing but cosmetic. He's had more appear, but they are all cosmetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 go ahead and have it checked, always a good thing. If it is anything, most are topical. at this age, it's probably harmless. I have a son who has stereotypical "red-haired" skin (even though his hair has turned blonde. his redhaired sister doesn't have as many moles/freckles/nevi as he does). He was born with a dime-sized nevis on his thigh, that grew, thickened, and darkened as he got older. I took him to a dermatologist who specialized in skin cancer. It was nothing but cosmetic. He's had more appear, but they are all cosmetic. I hope you are right! Thank you.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I just had a fully body check yesterday. :) I was worried about some of mine, but even the ones I was worried about she told me are not only fine, but not likely to turn into cancer. Take him him; it will reassure you to hear it from the Dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) My son has a congenital nevi on his back. It's a little less than quarter size and irregular. The dermatologist told me it would grow with him and could change color (darken) as he aged. I'd have it checked out but these types of nevi look weird imo. Smaller nevi (single especially) don't have a terribly great risk of increased melanoma. :grouphug: Edited January 18, 2012 by sbgrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Have it looked at. If it's nothing, you'll be relieved. If it's something, the sooner you get it taken care of, the better. Generally speaking, any mole that changes, grows, or is larger than a pencil eraser in diameter should be looked at. Doesn't mean it's cancerous, but isn't it better to rule that out right away? Good luck! I hope it's nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 And for general awareness: keep a close eye on any moles on the palms of hands or soles of feet. They can turn to skin cancer very quickly, so watch for any changes or if they're dark, get them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 I called our doctor this morning. Apparently they closed December 23 & are hoping to renew/get a contract renewed by the end of January!?!?:banghead: I am frustrated! Luckily we go to church with a pediatrician. She hosts our community group at her house & the boys' youth group as well. She isn't accepting new patients, but I think she will make an exception. I don't like overstepping bounds, but we have community group Friday night. I will ask her take a look at his back then. What do you think? We are new in our state & our city is much, much larger than our hometown. We don't have the same connections here yet. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Have it looked at. If it's nothing, you'll be relieved. If it's something, the sooner you get it taken care of, the better. Generally speaking, any mole that changes, grows, or is larger than a pencil eraser in diameter should be looked at. Doesn't mean it's cancerous, but isn't it better to rule that out right away? And see if you can find an older picture showing the mole. One you can zoom in on would be best. If it shows any change, bring the picture with you to the new doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchel210 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I would just go have it removed and checked. It is so simple. They do a simple needle to numb it and remove them. I had 3 done last month. None had cancer. The one that had cancer was not a mole...it looked like a scab. BUT I would just remove them to check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I called our doctor this morning. Apparently they closed December 23 & are hoping to renew/get a contract renewed by the end of January!?!?:banghead: I am frustrated! Luckily we go to church with a pediatrician. She hosts our community group at her house & the boys' youth group as well. She isn't accepting new patients, but I think she will make an exception. I don't like overstepping bounds, but we have community group Friday night. I will ask her take a look at his back then. What do you think? We are new in our state & our city is much, much larger than our hometown. We don't have the same connections here yet. Sigh. I would go to a dermatologist, not a primary care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Make an appointment with a dermatologist. That way you will be sure to get a correct diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 I will ask my friend for a recommendation. I am now in a city that is 3/4 or bigger than my hometown. I want to go to someone good. It's so hard to find good physicians it seems like. It's time like these that I REALLY miss my mom.:crying: Living a 1,000 miles away isn't so bad all the time, but other times it's not so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) The one that had cancer was not a mole...it looked like a scab. Same here -- even the derm thought it was just a regular mole that had gotten inflamed a bit, but she removed it because it was bleeding... and although it turned out to be malignant (and required MOHS surgery to get it all out,) I'm very fortunate that it was just a basal cell carcinoma, and was easy to remove. When ds was younger, I went into a minor panic over a mole on his thigh and insisted on a biopsy even when the derm said it was probably nothing because I knew I'd obsess about it, and to watch and wait and report any changes to her. It turned out to be absolutely nothing, but my Mom Paranoia went away as soon as I found out that all was well, so it was worth getting the mole tested. Edited January 18, 2012 by Catwoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Lee Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Make an appointment with a dermatologist. That way you will be sure to get a correct diagnosis. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Make an appointment with a dermatologist. That way you will be sure to get a correct diagnosis. :iagree: But if you will be seeing the other doctor anyway, she can probably tell you with a quick look if she sees anything to be concerned about, and I'm sure she will set your mind at ease. A dermatologist sees this stuff every day, so if you're concerned that there may be a problem, definitely keep your appointment, but in the meantime, the opinion of the other doctor will still mean a lot -- if she's a general practitioner and has been around for a while, she has probably seen more than her share of skin cancers and will know what to look for. Again, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but it never hurts to check if you're worried, so you can relax and stop thinking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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