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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu to want the mole on my face removed?

55 replies

Lime12 · 17/01/2016 13:43

I am fair skinned with quite a few freckles. I also have several moles on my face (hundreds on my body) and one in particular really bothers me. It is large and dark And in middle of my cheek! I have hated it forever and it really affects my confidence. I think about it everytime I look in mirror and feel sad.

I went previously to Nhs dr who said I could be left with a scar or a keloid scar if I had it removed and it could potentially look worse than before! So I left it.

Recently it's been upsetting me though. My family members keep mentioning my flaws ("has it grown" "did you know you have one here too"etc) it's really starting to piss me off but got me thinking about if I could pay to have it done by a private plastic surgeon. My family pointing out my flaws is another thread for another day!

Anyone got any advice? Did you have it done and do you have a scar? Any recommendations for a good surgeon?

OP posts:

Witchend · 17/01/2016 17:48

Thing is I suspect you can't tell until it's been removed. I had 4 removed as a child. 2 you couldn't tell anything was ever there. 2 have huge red scars about 1" wide. The moles removed weren't 1/4 that size.

Lovemytent · 17/01/2016 18:03

I have a very large mole near my nose. Have had it all my life, but it is certainly 'juicier' these days.
Used to get called 'Chesney' at school (those of a certain age will know).

It hasn't really bother me in adult life but seeing the low prices mentioned here is making me think twice. Hmmm....

soontobemrsmckeown · 17/01/2016 18:15

Dont do it. Ive had two removed. Ones left a medium scar and the other a huge scar. More damage to my confidence than the moles were but i had no choice but to have them removed.

PaulAnkaTheDog · 17/01/2016 18:17

A girl I went to school with had a rather large mole above her top lip. She had it removed and by the time we left school the scar was barely noticeable. Ran into her a couple years later and it was completely unnoticeable.

I have a lot of moles (although none in a prominent position), the results of her removal have made me totally comfortable with the idea of having a mole removed.

rosewithoutthorns · 17/01/2016 18:19

Have it removed! I had a big nose and now its small.

Naoko · 17/01/2016 18:21

I have two dark raised moles on my face. They grow hairs and occasionally get spots in them (I have quite bad acne and when a spot grows right in/on the edge of the mole it's horrible). I hate them. My GP says there's no medical need to have them removed so won't refer me to have it done. If I ever stop being this broke I'm going to get them removed privately.

LivingInMidnight · 17/01/2016 18:53

I have a mole I'm considering asking my gp about. There's nothing 'wrong' with it but I hate it, it's on my jaw & it's red. I've had one removed from my scalp before, they just did lots of little injections of local and then cut it off and cauterised it. It sounds like that's not far off what they do on faces then, that's a relief.

FrancisdeSales · 17/01/2016 18:57

I think as everyone has said get professional advice from one or more plastic surgeons who do mole removal all the time - not just a GP.

Also you can get treatment for lots of freckles if they bother you and you are willing to shell out some ££. I have had 2 laser treatments so far for some bad Melasma - facial discolouration due to hormones and sun - and I am so happy with the results. I can now wear no makeup without having brown blotches on my face. It's not completely gone but they recommend 4 treatments for best results.

It's amazing what modern medicine especially dermatology can do these days.

Invest in yourself and feel better x

Me624 · 17/01/2016 19:12

I had a mole removed about 3 years ago from my face - it was just underneath my eye. It was a light brown flattish mole but it had gradually grown over several years until it was really very noticeable and I hated it. My GP said that it was not cancerous so I could not have it removed on the NHS but he referred me to a private consultant locally. I had an appointment within a week and they said that if it was straightforward (which most are) then they could do the procedure immediately after the initial consultation. It was all over in about 5 minutes, virtually painless and I sat and had a cup of tea and a biscuit afterwards and then drove myself home.

I am left with a small white scar which is barely visible at all and easily covered by foundation (which the mole was not). The scar has become slightly more prominent since I have been pregnant but I am told this is a common side effect of pregnancy and it should go away afterwards. In any case I much prefer the scar to the mole.

Oh and I am very pale and freckly too.

Definitely have it done OP, I felt much happier after having mine removed.

amitha · 17/01/2016 19:20

I had three raised moles by my eyebrow that bothered me. Eventually just paid £260 to have them removed privately, kind of hid with a hat when out and about while healing, but was great. You can see very slightly the scars but he did them so they go in my scowl lines and pretty much invisible.

Bulletpr00f · 17/01/2016 19:35

I am so happy about this thread, when I went to my GP about this, they gave me acne cream. Seriously. I do not and have never had acne is just wanted two moles removed, one which is not dark and one that is but had changed shape. Unsurprisingly the acne cream did nothing.

I thought going private would cost a fortune, but I can manage £300-£400. Thank you for posting everyone, these babies are out of here!

Original poster

Lime12 · 17/01/2016 19:51

I'm glad my thread has helped a few people! It's amazing the impact a little brown mark on my face has on my confidence. I just feel ugly! I didnt find my husband til I was a little older than I had expected and never had much confidence with men. I feel like people think my face is "spoilt" by this mole. I've had children ask "what's that on your face". My own father once told me I had a bit of chocolate on my face. I wiped and nothing came off! It was my mole! Embarrassing. People in my family feel the need to comment on it all the time. My family members have also slagged of celebs with moles without thinking about my feelings "oh xxxx would be so much prettier if she got rid of that hideous mole". The only thing it has given me is kindness. I never feel the need to comment on people's faces or weight etc perhaps because I know how hurtful comments like that can be.

Anyway I've been researching docs all day and I'm going to make the appointment!

OP posts:

Iazarus · 17/01/2016 20:07

Google Apple cider vinegar. Worked for me

nooka · 17/01/2016 20:08

I have a flat dark brown mole on my cheek which grows a little tuft of hair. I just shave it every now and then. I've had a few comments about having something on my cheek but just say it's a mole and surprisingly it's been the commenter that's been embarrassed. I'm not sure why it doesn't bother me, but it's just never been an issue.

On the other hand the lumps and bumps I now have on my shoulders really do bother me. From googling I think they are seborrheic keratoses, and both my parents have/had them. I'd like to get them removed despite any scarring issues because they are really ugly. Seems to me very appropriate for private treatment.

I think that some of the scarring discussions may relate more to why you have a mole removed. I had a mole above one of my breasts that got a bit itchy and black and so I went to the GP. He said that it was almost certainly benign but he would remove it and get it tested. Because of the cancer concern he said he would take out a fair bit of tissue and it would leave a nasty scar. I decided I was happier with a watch and wait approach. Twenty years later it's not changed so I think I made the right call. A specialist might well have been able to say that it was fine without the threat of removal/ scars.

BillBrysonsBeard · 17/01/2016 20:10

Do it OP! I had one on my neck removed, not as visible obviously but the scar is tiny. Scarring is so much easier to cover up! You will get your confidence back.
On a side note- your family sound awful.

Anotherusername1 · 18/01/2016 11:27

I had two moles on my face. I hated them. I think the NHS had stopped removing them for cosmetic reasons by then but my parents thought they had got bigger so they were removed on the NHS when I was 22. There are two tiny scars but they are much less noticeable than the moles were.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 18/01/2016 11:32

Can I ask who you see privately for some thing like this? Dermatologist or plastic surgeon?

I have a weird skin coloured lump on my face which ive had for years. Don't think its a mole, might be a bit of a cyst. Sometimes it gets bigger and redder, but this seems to relate to the growth of a thick hair which grows out the centre.....but it gets trapped. So then I have to scrape off the top layer, dig the hair out.....then it bleeds and scabs over. On a constant cycle of this.

Herrerarerra · 18/01/2016 11:59

I've had quite a few removed from my face. The first lot were done around 18 years ago, my GP referred me to a private laser clinic and the cost was somehow covered. It was horrible. Horrible horrible horrible. The laser removal itself was painful, and not especially quick, but the after care was worse. I left the clinic with a load of cotton wool pads, a bottle of white vinegar and some Vaseline, and several times a day I had to clean the wounds with the vinegar, very carefully wiping the very top layer of newly forming skin off so that they healed slowly from within and didn't leave a dent (I had to brace myself whenever I did it because it was so sore). Then a thick layer of Vaseline had to be applied and I was too embarrassed to leave the house as I had these weeping wounds on my face. That all went on for about two weeks and sod's law, some came back...

I had the ones which re-appeared removed at a private hospital and that was so much better, they were chemically burnt off and it took no time at all and were just basically left to heal. That was 12 years ago and the only trace I can see of them is a small patch of skin which is slightly whiter than the rest of my face.

My 15 year old son has some which are now bothering him so I need to arrange for him to have some removed.

Me624 · 18/01/2016 17:59

WhoTheFuck mine was done by a plastic surgeon. It was cut out rather than lasered or frozen. Very neat job.

PicaK · 18/01/2016 18:54

When i was younger i had loads of moles shaved off. I was really pleased as they were raised and could catch on stuff. The only one that scarred badly was the large one (size of a half p) that the plastic surgeon team did.
When i moved and went to a different hospital with younger consultants they were horrified - the shaved moles could change and go cancerous without any of the warning signs that i would have seen (change in shape, size, texture.) had i left them alone. I felt sick.
So i'd say if you're going to get rid of it do it properly and get it dug out. Even if it leaves a scar.

amitha · 19/01/2016 17:05

I just contacted my local bupa hospital, the guy was a dermatologist. As part of the service they send the moles they remove to be tested as well.

I tried apple cider vinegar and various other diy methods and just made things worse.

MLGs · 19/01/2016 17:11

I have a massive mole. Considered having it removed as teenager and didn't. Thinking I might look into it again though.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 19/01/2016 17:32

Thanks, will ring the local bupa hospital and see what they say.

Penfold007 · 19/01/2016 18:12

I was coming on here to say don't have it done as the scar will be worse than the mole. That's what the private doctor told my DD who has a raised mole in a similar in a similar place to Gem. I'm going to show her this thread and offer to get a second opinion. She hates her mole.

Lovemytent · 22/01/2016 17:59

Just had the answer back from a local private hospital that removes moles - £700 to remove just one !!!
I think I'll be learning to love mine - can't believe the price !

Can other people who have had this done please let us know what they paid ?

Wouldn't dream of asking NHS to do it as it would be purely for cosmetic reasons in my case.

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