Mole removal for teens

[AppleGarden]

My dd is only 12 atm. She has a few small flat moles on her face since she was about 8. I think they are about 1mm to 2 mm so not very big. We did use suncream most of the times in summers but still couldn’t avoid them. Different gps have different options whether they were related to sun exposure. Inevitably I feel guilty as not knowing whether it was my fault for not providing her with enough sunscreen. Anyway I think they affect her confidence a bit. I want hear from people who had taken their dcs to plastic surgeons to remove their facial moles or if yourself had yours done while you were younger. Of course my worry is if the scars will turn out worse than the moles.

I am in the US, @AppleGarden, so cost comparisons are not possible.

DS had outpatient surgery, recovered over the weekend and was back in school on Monday. He had a follow up appointment shortly afterwards as there were stitches to check on. The removed tissue was sent to a lab and the result was that it was all benign, to our relief.

Maybe a UK dermatologist would refer you back to the NHS for any necessary removal?

Ime an NHS GP to dermatologist referral is within two weeks.

My referrals to the mole clinic have always been about 2 weeks. I think it may come under the cancer investigation time scales? Even when they don’t suspect cancer at all.

Melanoma is fucking vicious though so it would make sense to treat moles quickly just in case..

Plus dermatology doesn’t really suffer from the emergencies bumping the routine cases down. You don’t get to clinic and find the dr’s have all been called to a car crash and there’s a 3 hour delay like you would in ortho...

Yes, cancer is the concern, so a referral for a proper exam shouldn't take long. If a GP doesn't want to refer, then I would seek a dermatologist myself.

@Elieza, thanks, how old were you when you had yours done? Have it grown back since? Did it left a scar?

But the Skin Clinic doesn’t see children until at least 16 yo. The next ones that are close to us are Nutfield or Windfield they both are private hospitals. Like to know if anyone has any experience of either of them. I feel I should take my dd to see a dermatologist asap to get a better informed choice. I just feel that the nhs gps may not have the expertise and time to be much help unless you happen to see someone who is very specialist or sympathetic. That’s one of the reasons sometimes we patients have to keep pushing to be taken seriously.

Sorry about typos.

OP I was an adult at the time.

It did not grow back and it did not leave a scar as there was no cutting of the skin or stitches.

However it did leave a slight redness to the skin for a good year. It decreased but has never fully gone away. It’s far less noticeable than a scar or mole was.

If I had the choice to do it again I would in a heartbeat.
I would do that on my skin in my face because it didn’t scar. Redness can easily be covered with a dab of concealer. Harder to cover a scar but you can.

Presumably they don’t want to mess with a child’s skin unless she is in danger as it’s still growing and moving as she gets bigger. I’ve seen things with babies with port wine stains on their face that moved as they grew and expanded. So presumably if they scar or mark the skin it could do that too, I don’t know?

Thanks ladies, you all are very kind. The decision would be a lot easier if the moles were on my own face. The position of the moles are on the front of her face so I can understand why they affect her confidence.

There are paediatric dermatologists so I dont know why you need to wait to get them checked? eg www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/our-services/specialties/paediatrics/paediatric-dermatology

At 12 she could use a facial sun cream

Thanks Embracelife we don’t live in London but I can ask if my local private hospitals to arrange something for us. I do make sure that we always have some sunscreen in our bathroom and in our handbags nowadays.