What To Do If Your Mole Looks Odd
When you go about your daily routines, you may not give too much attention to your skin and more specifically to any moles you may have. However, if one day you notice that one of your moles looks a bit funny or odd, you may wonder what you can and should do about the situation. Get to know some of the steps you should take if your mole looks weird. Then, you can be sure you do what is best for your skin and your overall health moving forward.
Keep an Eye on It
Sometimes, a mole can look weird because your skin is dry, irritated, or you got a small scratch or something similar in the area of the mole. As such, before jumping to any conclusions about what is going on, you should keep an eye on your mole for a few days (or a week).
Look for any changes in the appearance of the mole. Is it more or less red? Does the shape or size change? Has it gone back to normal or remained odd looking? If you notice more redness, changes in the shape and size (particularly growth), or it remains odd in appearance, you may have an issue on your hands that requires further care.
Schedule a Dermatologist Appointment
Dermatologists are skin specialists. Therefore, if you are having trouble with a mole, they are the best doctor to see. So, as previously mentioned, if the mole does not go back to normal or gets worse while you are keeping an eye on it, you should take the next step. That step is scheduling your dermatologist appointment.
When you see the dermatologist, be specific about the changes you have noticed in the mole or exactly what is concerning you. Let them know if it has changed shape or size, for example. All of this information will help the dermatologist determine a treatment plan.
Be Willing to Have the Mole Removed
Whether the mole is cancerous or not, the next step when a mole is behaving strangely is almost always to remove the offending mole. Be willing to go along with this course of treatment, even though minor surgery is not something you likely are looking forward to.
By removing the mole, your dermatologist accomplishes a few things. Mole removal allows them to biopsy the tissue to test it and determine whether the mole was cancerous. And if it was cancerous, there is a good chance that removing the mole (with clean margins around it) will remove all of the cancer from your body.
Know That Further Treatments May Be Necessary
If your dermatologist determines that the mole was cancerous, there may be additional treatments necessary to deal with the situation. While surgery often removes skin cancer, it is possible it spread outside of the perimeter of the specific mole.
When this is the case, various treatments may be necessary. Topical skin treatments on other moles or lesions can be used. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy may also be options to consider. While these treatments are not commonly needed for skin cancer, it is possible that you may need them.
Now that you know what to do if your mole looks odd, you can be sure you take the right steps if and when you notice a strange mole on your body.
For more information on skin cancer treatments, reach out to a local dermatologist.
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