Cosmetic Surgery

Off-Topic Chat
#1

Hello fellow LH users, I’m looking for some advice.

I’ve always felt rather self conscious about the moles I have all over my body, largest ones being on my back but I’m not too bothered about those at the moment. I have quite a few on my neck and sides of my face, they’re not very big but they have been the subject of school ground bullying when I was a kid and I’ve always felt very self conscious about them as I can’t really cover them up.

I know they won’t be removed via NHS so I’m looking at private surgery, only issue I have is I don’t even know where to begin, companies to use and ones to stay away from.

Has anyone had anything similar done and how was your experience?

#2

Hi @12_monkees, I would try talking to your doctor anyway. I know you said they can’t be removed on the NHS but your GP may be able to recommend somewhere and if this is causing you anxiety then it may be that your GP could push for this to be done on the nhs?

Secondly (although maybe more importantly), have you thought about talking to someone about your feelings about body image and the bullying at school? Bullying as a child can affect how we see ourselves for many years to come. Might you be able to accept your body the way it is? Our bodies are all different and amazing. Other people will see us very differently to the way we see ourselves. I don’t know much about the proceedure for removing moles but cosmetic surgery is a big decision to make and it might help you to talk it through with a professional counsellor first. Your GP would be able to recommend someone for this too, maybe even refer you on the NHS.

I hope this helps a little. You may also want to take a look at the thread on body confidence, there a some lovely, encouaging posts on there.

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#3

I know a few people who have had theirs removed and at least 1 removed by NHS on their back. She went to her GP and told them that the mole on her back was causing some pain because it often got caught on clothes and stuff and they removed it. Don’t know if they will 100% do it with that reasoning but worth a try. Could also throw in the mental health aspect and might help get it for free. They can also recommend places that can do it at least

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#4

Hello! As moles can become cancerous i would definitely see your GP about getting them removed, they may refer you to a dermatologist. I have a couple of experiences that may be of help to you.
I had a small mole on my chin and i kept lopping the top off when shaving, this went on for years, and i mentioned the inconvenience of it to my doctor. He got me an appointment to have it removed. It was a quick local anaesthetic taking a couple of minutes, with the wound being cauterised. No big deal, and i have been shaving without drawing blood since!
The other was about 3 years ago i slipped on ice and virtually did the splits, i really hurt myself! The only sign was a small purple bruise at the back of my thigh (Hamstring?)
Anyway, i fully recovered, but the “bruise” never went, but being where it was, was kind of out of sight, out of mind. But my OH noticed it was starting to spread. So i made an appointment to see my GP. This was now July 2019, he was mystified so refered me to a dermatologist, which he said, could be a while. It was! The first Sunday of 2020 i actually saw the dermatologist, she said she didn’t know what it was, so best to have it removed. I was actually shocked to get an appointment for the end of January!
I had a local anaesthetic and they went in deep and long, requiring 10 stitches. They said i’d get the biopsy results in 2 weeks, but due to Covid it was July! It was a benign cancer caused by tissue trauma.
So go to your GP tell them that you are worried about skin cancer, especially on your face, and that the bodily ones rub on your clothes causing pain. You don’t state your gender, but if male you could mention shaving problems. Also you could mention anxiety/self consciousness stemming from your childhood bullying.
Hopefully the NHS will do it. But if not, i would do some internet research on good private practices. As it’s quite minor local anaesthetic procedures, taking very little time (My recent leg op was in and out within 30 minutes) i would expect it to be relatively cheap.
Hope this helps and remember it’s your personality that counts! :slight_smile:

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#5

Afternoon.

Sorry to hear you feel this way. You’re perfect and you might just need to spend some time speaking to someone to realise that.

That said, should there be a potentially suspicious mole then the NHS will remove it for biopsy. This can be carried out through a number of methods depending on the size and depth ranging from taking a surface sample, punch biopsy and full removal. Having had the full removal from my face - even for a small area, it was particularly uncomfortable and I certainly don’t wish to lose anymore.

The NHS will also consider removal of it detrimental to your mental health but as mentioned above, they will commonly refer for talking therapy before any removal.

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#6

Thank you for the replies.

I used to see a dermatologist quite regularly and she’d check all my moles on my body as there are so many.m (easily over 100). My grandad actually had skin cancer at one point in his life and funnily enough when I was shaving yesterday I nicked one on my neck.

I will look at speaking to my Dr, I am diagnosed with having anxiety/depression so perhaps being stuck at home working through Covid is causing more issues for me mentally. I have had a look at private clinics but they quite £250 for one mole, but I think it best to speak with my Dr as I’m sure they might have recommendations.

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#7

The facial/shaving ones ought to be NHS appropriate. I guess it just depends how sympathetic your doctor is, just be sure to lay it on thick.

#8

Hmmmm why did you have a dermatologist reviewing you originally, was there already concern that with so many you were high risk for changes? If so, why were you discharged? I would have thought with so many where you can’t easily check yourself that if it was clinically appropriate before it still would be now, even if just with a GP rather than a Dermatologist. As a bare minimum some clinical photographs (‘mole mapping’) for future reference, especially on your back. Their threshold for mole removal might be lower for you given how many you have.
If you go private, ensure that the platstic surgeon or dermatologist has links/ works in a nearby NHS Trust and that all removals are sent off for histology.

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#9

You’re quite right Gosig, I went perhaps early teens when they took photographs for mole mapping. I’d be seen once a year to check they hadn’t grown or changed colour. I’m relatively certain the ones I can’t check, ie the ones on my back have gotten bigger, or at least looks that way to me.

At the moment it doesn’t feel like a priority with us all dealing with Covid, which has made it impossible to see a Dr. My clinic only do telephone conferences unless it’s something serious, so maybe it would be worth going in when we’re allowed and perhaps ask about being seen by a dermatologist given that I cannot keep track of my moles.

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#10

You need to insist on a face to face masked appointment, moles and cancer need regular checks, Covid or not.

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#11

If the photos were from your early teens then you were still growing and your moles may well look quite different now. Most moles change over time, from flat browns, to resembling a fried egg with a raised potion in the middle, to completely raised with a loss of the brown pigment. This is normal mole development. The problem is when moles ‘develop’ in an abnormal fashion (the ‘abcde’ of worrying mole changes). If you suspect that any of your moles have developed any of these signs (asymmetry, odd border, more colours, rapidly increased diameter, rapid evolution of any new features) then you must, as Will said, see your GP, covid or not.

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#12

I agree with what @Gosig says, if your GP isn’t keeping a check on your moles, you may want to see another GP.