![\"When](\"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/whentoworry2.jpg\")
<\/b><\/p>\n<\/b><\/p>\n
Even if you wear a floppy hat all summer, avoid tanning beds, and protect yourself from the sun religiously, tell-tale brown spots can appear on anyone.\u00a0 When should you worry if that new pigment change is a warning of something more and see a dermatologist?<\/b><\/p>\n
Although I\u2019m a freckly person by nature, my skin is relatively mole-free.\u00a0 So it took me by surprise a few months ago when what appeared to be a new mole arrived on the scene.\u00a0 As the weeks passed and I watched it get bigger, my concern and Google searches grew along with it.<\/p>\n
Every site warned about abnormalities and said to look for the ABCDE<\/a>\u2019s of melanoma.<\/p>\n A for Asymmetry:<\/strong> \u00a0Are both halves of the mole alike, or are there differences between one side and the other?<\/p>\n B for Border:<\/strong>\u00a0 Is the border of the mole clean and clear or raggedy and irregular?<\/p>\n C for Color:<\/strong> \u00a0Is the mole one even color all the way across or are there variations?<\/p>\n D for Diameter:<\/strong> \u00a0Is the mole bigger than a pencil eraser?<\/p>\n E for Elevation:<\/strong> \u00a0Is the mole raised or flat against the skin?<\/p>\n The sites warned that moles that appear after age 20 and\/or change appearance by growing, becoming raised, becoming itchy or painful should be checked by a doctor.<\/p>\n Instead of typing in online searches, I wondered if I should be using my digits to dial the dermatologist.\u00a0 I\u2019m in my thirties and past that age 20 threshold.\u00a0 So when I noticed that my mole had gone beyond the allotted pencil eraser size and began to itch, I knew it was time to set up a dermatologist appointment.<\/p>\n I\u2019d only seen a dermatologist one other time, and so I was a little worried about what a visit would entail.\u00a0 I surveyed my mole-prone friend for the lowdown, and she told me that when she\u2019d had suspicious moles removed, they numbed the area, sliced off the mole, and sent it away for testing.\u00a0 She said it was a painless procedure.\u00a0 Within a few days to a week, she\u2019d gotten the results back, which had always come back clear.<\/p>\n Since my friend had treaded the terrain before and survived, I tried not to get myself too freaked out about it.\u00a0 But on the morning of the exam, I was more than ready to get the experience behind me.<\/p>\n In the office, I filled out paperwork about my medical history and skin care regimen.<\/p>\n Did I wear sun block?<\/em><\/p>\n Was my skin dry or itchy?<\/em><\/p>\n Does skin cancer run in my family?<\/em><\/p>\n Then I was moved to the private exam room, where I was told to wear a breezy cotton poncho and sheet.<\/p>\n The doctor looked over my skin for any abnormalities, and I showed her the mole in question, explaining that it had become itchy and uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s a mole at all.\u00a0 It\u2019s Seborrheic Keratoses.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019d never heard of Seborrheic Keratoses<\/a>, but apparently it\u2019s a common skin growth that makes an appearance in the 30\u2019s or later.\u00a0 While they can be in a range from white to black, they are usually tan in color with a rough appearance. They\u2019re described as having a waxy \u201cpainted on\u201d look.\u00a0 Attractive, huh?<\/p>\n My doctor told me that she calls them \u201cwisdom spots.\u201d\u00a0 She assured me that although doctors don\u2019t know why they occur, Seborrheic Keratoses doesn\u2019t lead to cancer and is just a cosmetic issue.\u00a0 Unless they are problematic because of itchiness, discomfort, or being in an area where there is chafing like an underwear line or bra strap, they don\u2019t need to be removed.<\/p>\n However, since mine was becoming itchy and uncomfortable, she removed it by applying liquid nitrogen to the growth by using a spray gun.\u00a0 It then falls off after a few days, allowing the skin underneath it to heal.<\/p>\n The next time something suspicious shows up on my skin I won\u2019t sit with worry.\u00a0 I\u2019ll head to the dermatologist and either have my mind put at ease or get the issue handled.\u00a0 If there\u2019s one thing this growth has given me\u2026 I\u2019m now a little wiser.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For more on skin cancer and cancer prevention, check out these posts on skin cancer prevention<\/a>, eating to prevent cancer<\/a>, and preventing breast cancer with a plant-based diet<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image Credit: Photos by Cadry Nelson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even if you wear a floppy hat all summer, avoid tanning beds, and protect yourself from the sun religiously, tell-tale brown spots can appear on anyone.\u00a0 When should you worry if that new pigment change is a warning of something more and see a dermatologist? Although I\u2019m a freckly person by nature, my skin is […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":11223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[7707,7708,7709,5953,6241],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/whentoworry2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"When](\"https:\/\/feelgoodstyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/whentoworry.jpg\")
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