Omlet cube and run

[patsylabrador]

MS has always had four large moles on his back which I've checked regularly so we were aware when one changed slightly. Even so I wasn't too concerned but when another got irritated and itchy from his very physical work, he decided to see the doctor. Anyway long story short, he's had two cut out and although they were dodgy, he is healthy and is due to have the others taken out when he gets back from America. I think it was more a case that they had the potential to become nasty although they may not have. Even so it was a bit scary and though I'm not completely Mumhappy I'm glad they're out.

I just wanted to remind people to check their moles especially in the case of sons, their backs, because they might not.

[The Dogmother]

Thanks for the reminder PL, very timely. I hope that they stay 'unconcerning'.

 

The target areas in men are; back, scalp and ears. I am forever telling the men at work to slap on sunscreen and wear hats - we even provide 'slap' and hats.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Thanks for the reminder PL, I have a couple of large moles - one on my side which I can see and check easily, the other on my lower back which I can't see and tend to forget about. I have had it checked out by a doctor in the past but I might get it rechecked just to be on the safe side.

[bluekarin]

My hubby had one removed from his back many years ago as I was concerned about it. He had quite a bit of pain afterwards as his skin scars very badly, but I think even he would rather have that bit of pain than what it could have become. I do try and keep an eye on my sons back, quite easy at the mo as the second he is in the door from school his shirt is off! My daughter was born with one on her arm and my FIL keeps saying every time he sees her, which thankfully isn't too often, she can get that removed you know She quite likes it and if it becomes a concern she will have something done.

[LolaLayla]

I have recently had one removed from my leg. It turned out be be something unusual but thankfully benign. The Dr is keeping a watch on one on my back. I had to get photos taken of it so that it will be obvious if it changes. It is in a really hard spot to see.

[KimmyCustard]

I've had two dodgy ones, one on my upper left arm and the other on my tummy of all places!

 

I regularly used sun beds and also burnt myself whilst sun bathing, from the age of around 17 until 35. Both moles got darker and irregularly shaped so I visited the doctor who referred me to a dermatologist. He said they could be iffy so he took them off during day surgery. They were sent for a biopsy and the arm mole was malignant melanoma. I had an operation where he did a much larger circle around it in order to grab all the nerves that could be cancerous underneath.

 

Lucky for me I spotted it early on, all is well and I now would never go on a sun bed and its Factor 30 and above when in the sun. Keep checking ladies and gents and never be complacent!

[sparkysmum]

I have also had 2 nasty moles removed, one on my back and another on my leg. I was so lucky with the one on my back ~ another 0.1mm deeper and I would have had to have a full course of treatment. Instead I had to have a check up every 6mths for 3 years (back) and 5 years (leg). At my last visit a trainee oncologist type person noticed a blemish much darker than the rest and of course recommended it should be removed. went through it all again and it turned out to be a freckle Still I'm glad she was so observant.

 

I think I'm of the generation whose parents simply didn't think about sunscreen and we all frazzled in the summer (pre global warming of course) some are paying the price now.

[Snowy]

A timely warning Patsy - especially at this time of year when we are tempted to throw everything off at the first sign of sun!

I am also slightly obsessive about them after I lost a friend to malignant melanoma many years ago. He had what he thought was a large corn on the sole of his foot that his chiropodist had been treating him for for months. He asked me to check it out for him one day as it wasn't getting better. I told him to see his GP about it as I instantly thought it looked suspicious. He died 6 months later He was in his 20s.

So check all over, as they don't just occur on the bits that get exposed to the sun!

[chickencam]

Thanks for the prod on this, I have quite a few moles including a couple on my face, one of which I have had for most of my life, ut I am developing more as I age. I would like to get one on my cheek removed for vanity reasons but I am worried about scarring, I must however get them checked out because I have large irregular one under my left arm, it has always been a bit odd though and has been there for years.

[The Dogmother]

It's always best to get them checked Liz, and moles on your face are usually sewn up by a plastics surgeon and hardly noticeable once the initial redness fades. Use Bio Oil to help it heal though.

 

I have a very olive, Mediterranean complexion, which is resilient to the sun, but I never take chances and use a high factor sunblock. My dad is of Scottish extraction and I have his freckles too so am always watching moles and freckly things. A few years back I had a small mole removed on my left breast, not malignant but looked worrying, the 'mole man' was very thorough and checked me all over (nurse was present!) and inspected every mole or freckle through a special 'scope.

 

Please be careful folks, slap on that sunscreen, don't forget your ears and get a hat on.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I have had the total of 4moles removed. One off the end of my nose, which despite sun block went and started oozing....that was swiftly removed by a dermatologist. One off my back, sadly the hospital made a right old mess of that I have a nasty scar, luckily it's on my lower back so not visible. The other two were just in dodgy places and the doctor whipped them off, before they caused any trouble.

 

If in doubt I get them checked out, although I don't sun bathe and cover up in the sun as I burn to a crisp at the sight of a ray of sunshine!

[soapdragon]

I was at the GP's recently with two on my back - one is, apparently, dodgy and so was advised to photo it and check again in 6 months (a bit DIY!) Again, I remember frying on the beaches of Sunny Sussex for two weeks each August from age 4 to 17 with never a sniff of suncream. My sister and I used to end up peeling burned skin off each other Horrifying, but I really don't think that people were aware of just how lethal the sun can be back then.

 

However, I do try not to go too over the top with my boys and, if they are only going to be out for a short while before 11.00am or after 2.00pm, I don't slap the cream on as GP advised that obsessive use of cream/covering up can cause rickets (there was actually an article about this in the press recently with one poor little chap now on vit D drops after Mum kept him totally covered and suncreamed!) Seems you just can't win - guess its back to the 'everything in moderation' school of thought!

[chickencam]

I have always taken the moderation view, mine were nly slathered in sun cream n very hot days when they were gong to be out for long periods, I thought about the vitamin D issue years ago, I also worried about covering my children in chemicals

[sadietoo]

Thanks for the reminder. I have a few which I am watching because I too have very fair skin but grew up in sunny sussex and sunscreen was unknown.

 

I have to say I think that some sunscreens also have dodgy credentials. My children always wore shorty wetsuits on the beach...triple benefit..they could stay in the sea long after others had turned blue with the cold...they were more bouyant so I didn't worry about the whole "wave" thing when most of their swimming had been learned and perfected in the waveless swimming pool, and they didn't have so much flesh exposed to the sun so it was easier to keep them topped up with suncream

[Tiggy]

for ladies the common place is the calf (often exposed skin that is not easily seen by the person herself) to be honest most celtic/european skin is not designed for long exposure to sun. Lets face it, how often do we get any Joking apart we can easily get damage even if we never leave the UK, unless you have black skin sun factor 15 should be a daily part of our skin care to all exposed skin even in winter if you are very fair. All those rays are very ageing