Seborrhoeic keratoses removal

[CatherineCawoodsScarf]

Has anyone had these removed?

Also If this isn’t rude, how old are you? My GP said they usually come with age. I’m 27 🥴

They scab & come off by themselves, ime
There was a gal on Skin doctor who had several large ones, but they could have been picked off (like a scab). She didn't need to see a pro for removal, I suspect. They can itch & that's a good cue to pick 'em off.

I got my 1st SK soon after I had chickenpox; I had the CP when I was 25 or 26. I get another SK about every 6-8 years since (30 yrs later).

They do tend to come with age. My dad had loads on his back when he was very old. I'm in my 60s and have a few - started getting them in my 40s I think. I had one removed about 10 years ago because my bra used to catch on it. My gp removed it under general anaesthetic and put a couple of stitches in. Over the last few years I've had one on the side of my brow which I was really self conscious about. My gp (different one) agreed to remove it, but I kept picking at it and it just disappeared completely before I went back. They are very superficial, but do bleed if you scratch/pick them. I have a few on my back, one of which I keep scratching accidentally and it bleeds occasionally.

Does yours bother you much?

I have had one on my leg since about 48. It's been frozen once but has come back and now I just give it a good exfoliation every few weeks to keep it at bay.

I've got a few. If they are small I get someone to zap them with electrodes. If they are bigger I have them frozen, although that doesn't always work. I have decided to get several done a year, with a few skin tags to keep on top of the problem.

I'm covered in the things. Washing them with T-Gel shampoo for a few days clears them up, but they can come back.

Who do you get to zap them KnittedCardi, if you don't mind me asking? Does the GP do it or refer you on, or can you get it done as a self-refer somewhere? I have a few, and some skin tags (and some that seem halfway between the two!) I'd like to do what you're doing and tackle them bit by bit.

I saw a dermatologist about something else, but he recommended the Cerave cream with salicylic acid for them, and a regular buff with a damp flannel in the shower. That was about 4 months ago though, and I can't say I've noticed much improvement, but it might be worth a try before doing anything more extreme.

I had one on my shoulder once (I think it was one of those but it was whitish in colour). The doc removed mine but said they only did it because it was catching on my bra strap and getting irritated/bleeding, otherwise they’d just leave them. That was an NHS GP. Obviously different areas might have different policies. It was really simple. Quick numbing and then scraped off and cauterised.

Totally off topic but I also have some white patches on one side of my nose (been checked, all fine) and they’re called seborrheic “something” but I can’t remember the second bit of the name and it’s bugging me now!😂

I get them. I use salicylic acid on them, they dry up and fall off.

I had a big one on my face. It was dark,and went even darker in the summer
A neighbour had something that looked exactly the same removed it was a Lentigo. The scar ran from her forehead to her jaw. I saw a dermatologist last year about a sore on my nose that had been there months and didn't heal up. He removed it with liquid nitrogen. It didn't scar. I was 71.

I have grown loads more in pregnancy, which apparently is common. I have been using loads of bio oil and a couple of them in those areas have scabbed over and fallen off - not sure if it’s because of the bio oil or not, but seems linked maybe.

I had one on my scalp that the GP was going to remove but it just disappeared a couple of weeks before the appointment.
I now have several on my back. The second GP I saw said to smother them with moisturiser as they tend to develop more on dry skin. I'm 43 and I got my first one at about 38.

I get them zapped by a local beauty therapist. I have tried a few. Some are really expensive, I paid £100 for three, but then found this lady who will do as many as she can in 45 mins for £80, bargain.

For freezing I went to a dermatologist. Self referred and paid, but also wanted a full mole check. I had an itchy mole on my boob. That was £150, but of course no wait, and froze them there and then.

You have to shop around. Often the skin clinics are more expensive than going properly private. I went to a BUPA hospital and it was cheaper than the commercial clinic.

I had one on my back removed in January. I had it for about 4 yrs. It was just too big for my liking. I got it removed privately. It was £60. He used a very fine needle which seemed to zap it away.

That's really helpful, thanks KnittedCardi! I'll have a look at what's available near me.

I actually really like the idea of going privately to a dermatologist and getting a mole check at the same time. I'm very, very pale skinned and have a bad childhood history of sunburn, so I'm very paranoid about skin cancer, but have been made to feel a bit of a hypochondriac making an appointment for a check up without any specific concerns about a changing mole. This would give me a good reason for going! The dermatologist I saw before Christmas did say that these little bumpy skin lesions are linked to sun exposure, so that's probably why I have so many.

He also mentioned that multiple skin tags can be a sign of pre-diabetes, which I didn't know. (I had a blood test at the GP, but was clear for that.)

@BeforetheFlood - you might want to try a mole clinic. I went to the one in London for a full body check a couple of times (also history of sunburn, sun bed use). They're very thorough and tell you what each mark/blemish is, not just the moles.

I think Boots do mole checks too.

Just to add, we always hear that the sun is to blame, but I have loads under my boobs, which with big boobs have ever seen the light of day! ln that case it must be sweat/rubbing wires which is a bit disgusting, but can't be helped

Thanks SlipSlidin, that's a good call.

I think sun exposure is just one of the possible causes, Knitted. I know (now, since researching a bit!) friction is another, and high blood sugar. Most of mine are on my neck and I think wearing a necklace with a fairly heavy chain didn't help so I've stopped wearing anything now.

I wonder if OP has developed them in pregnancy, and many people (me included) get them in their 40s, whether hormones might also be involved. Or at least some interaction of hormones and blood sugar.

I put a blister plaster over mine for 2 weeks solid and no joke it's came off in the plaster 🤢🤢 still small bit there so new plaster on.. no chemicals no jags no knifes no picking xx sorry if pictures are tmi but u can see my plaster marks as had it on for 14day but blister plasters are so comfortable xx

@Louise247, thank you for the blister plaster tip - I have just peeled off the horrible loose-edged one I hated the most after leaving it under a blister plaster since I read your post!!

Friction I find plausible, they tend to recur at least once in same place ime. Seborrhic K's tend to turn up where there is no sun exposure, actually, so lack of sun is a risk factor. don't think that's just my lived experience, I read it somewhere.

Agreed. I have a lot under my boobs, I have always thought from friction of the wires of my bras.

I have mine zapped off at local salon. £65 for 20 minutes. Moles, skin tags the lot.

Roughly how many do you get done in that time do you know? I’ve got loads.

CatherineCawoodsScarf depends on how large they are, and as others have said, if they don't get all of it, they grow back. I had 2 large ones, and many tags removed in that time. As others said, bra lines and sun caught areas tend to be worse.

I've just got some of this for Dh. 2% (Creightons). Is that a good percentage @DramaAlpaca ?