Skin tags

[Risible]

In the People's Pharmacy column of the Los Angeles Times a reader asked what they thought of using New Skin Liquid Bandage to eliminate skin tags. PP answered that they'd heard of this being successful, and that wart remover has also worked in some cases.

Anyone have any experience with removing skin tags other than through a doctor?

[Miss Vickie]

I've heard of people using thread to tie them off but the few I've had were too small for even that. Some of my crazy nurse friends have used nail clippers and disposable scalpels but I DEFINITELY wouldn't recommend it (notice how I said my crazy nurse friends...).

[MisticalMisty]

All my female relatives on my mom's side have had all their surgically removed because of them becoming cancerous later on.

I used to work with the head of OR at our hospital, and she taught me how to tie my own hairs at the root of the tags and castrate them off. It's worked for those I can reach!

I'd be interested in trying other methods for those that are hard to reach!

Everything I've ever read suggests tying them off..cutting off the blood supply and they will eventually fall off.

Most skin tags are caused by some strain of the HPV virus..I wish we knew what strain and there was a vaccine or something..I get new ones everyday!

[Observer]

Googling "New skin liquid bandage" "skin tag" brings up a number of positive reports on this approach, including this from one syndicated health talk show"

"Skin tags are not dangerous, but as you point out, these fleshy growths can be bothersome. They often appear in skin folds such as under the arms, in the groin area or on the neck.

Several weeks ago, a reader recommended applying New-Skin Liquid Bandage to a skin tag or flap to remove it. We have since heard from several readers that this approach worked. "

However, googling "new skin liquid bandage" by itself brings up a mixed bag of product reviews.

Verdict: technique is likely a factor here and consumer results may vary. The only reccomendation can be to try it and see.

[Green Eyed Fairy]

I googled and got this....


DermaTend™ Skin Tag Testimonial
DermaTend Skin Tag Remover - WORKS!
http://www.skintagremover.com/testimonials.html


Skin tag removal: Can I do it myself?
How are skin tags removed? Can I do it myself?

Answer

Skin tags are small, soft, flesh-colored growths that protrude from your skin. They are generally harmless. However, if needed, skin tags can be snipped off with a scissors, or removed by freezing (cryotherapy) or with electrical current (electrodessication) in your dermatologist's office.

It is generally not recommended that you remove skin tags yourself because of the increased risk of infection and excessive bleeding. In addition, other skin growths — such as moles, keratoses, hemangiomas and pyogenic granulomas — can resemble skin tags and should only be removed by a doctor.


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-tags/AN00820



Good thread- I hope we get some "easy" answers because I have one too that is annoying but I had no idea what it was called so thanks for the info :D

[Chimpi]

I've got a question that some might choose to enlighten me.
I know Erin has one in her left armpit. I'd like to know what the ranges of sizes are for skin tags. Hers might be approximately one-quarter (1/4) to one-third (1/3) of an inch in diameter.

Also, missaf, do you know of any factors that might cause them to become cancerous?

Just curious.

[kr7]

Thanks for starting this thread. You must have read my mind! I got a major skin rash last week which as far as I could tell was caused by irritation to skin tags. Needless to say, I am scheduled in a few weeks to have them looked at. I will be sure to ask my doc some questions raised here, and post any answers I get.

Chris

[SocialbFly]

raising hand...Krazy nurse friend here...lol...i use a big clipper that has been sanitized in alcohol and clip those suckers off, i had one in an obnoxious place that i tied off with sterile suture material, took forever to get off of me, good grief...so clippers are so much quicker but that being said, i don't do i to many, just the ones that drive me insane, and as Vickie said, some of those days it is a very short drive ;)

[MisticalMisty]

I've got a question that some might choose to enlighten me.
I know Erin has one in her left armpit. I'd like to know what the ranges of sizes are for skin tags. Hers might be approximately one-quarter (1/4) to one-third (1/3) of an inch in diameter.

Also, missaf, do you know of any factors that might cause them to become cancerous?

Just curious.

They can get fairly big. I have a couple that are at least the size of a lima bean or something..lol

I had one under my belly..it eventually got worn away.. Skin tags are weird!

[Tori DeLuca]

Most skin tags are caused by some strain of the HPV virus..I wish we knew what strain and there was a vaccine or something..I get new ones everyday!

Whoa...I never heard THIS before! How do you know this?

[SocialbFly]

Skin tags
Skin tags (also called acrochordons or papillomas) are benign but annoying skin growth. No one really knows what causes them. Skin tags tend to appear in midlife, and may be an inherited condition. Some women develop skin tags during pregnancy. Although they are sometimes caused papillomas, skin tags aren't caused by a papillomavirus, as warts are. The term papilloma describes the appearance of the growths, not the cause. Skin tags are usually very small, skin-colored
growths commonly found on the neck, arms, and trunk. They may appear elsewhere on the body, as well. Sometimes a small stalk connects the main part of the growth to the skin
Skin tags are harmless growths. They are often found in the skin folds on the neck, under the arms, under the breasts, or in the groin. They begin as small fleshy brown spots and may grow a small stalk. Skin tags never turn into skin cancer. The tendency to develop skin tags appears to be inherited (genetic). A skin tag can be removed if it becomes irritated, bleeds, or causes embarrassment.

Skin tags develop in both men and women as they grow older. They are skin coloured or darker and range in size from 1mm to 5cm. They are most often found in the skin folds (neck, armpits, groin). They tend to be more numerous in obese persons and in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Skin tags are made up of loosely arranged collagen fibres and blood vessels surrounded by a thickend or thinned-out epidermis. Some skin tags are actually seborrhoeic keratoses, viral warts or molluscum contagiosum.

Skin tags at first may appear as tiny soft bumps on the skin. Over time, they grow into a flesh-colored piece of skin attached to the skin surface by a stalk. It's easy to move or wiggle skins tags back and forth. They are painless, although they can become irritated if they are rubbed a lot. If a skin tag is twisted on its stalk, a blood clot can develop within it and the skin tag may become painful.

Doctors can recognize skin tags easily by examining the skin. For skin tags with a characteristic appearance (soft, easily moveable, flesh-colored or slightly darker and usually attached to the skin surface by a stalk), a biopsy is unnecessary. If you notice that a skin tag doesn't move, is a different color than surrounding skin, is multicolored or has raw or bleeding areas, ask your doctor to examine it.

Skin tags that are located on the face or another visible area of the body, and growths that become irritated from contact with clothing can be removed easily. The simplest treatment is surgical removal, usually with scissors, to snip the skin tag off. This should be done by your healthcare practitioner, and not attempted at home. Another removal method is the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze the growth. Whatever treatment is used, remember that even if all skin tags are removed, new ones may appear. There is no known way to prevent the formation of skin tags.

http://skin-care.health-cares.net/skin-tags.php

[SocialbFly]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_HPV_cause_skin_tags

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that is cause by Human Papilloma Virus. There are approx. 60 different stains of this virus, 5 of those have been implicated in causing cervical cancer. There is no evidence the virus is transmitted any way other than sexual contact. Skin tags are benign lesions found on the skin, most commomly in the arm pit, groin, and neck, and have no relationship to HPV. There may be a hereditary tendency to develop these lesions which are usually asymptomatic, however they can be irritated by rubbing on clothing and need removal.

[Miss Vickie]

I did find one study, referenced here (http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic606.htm) that said they found HPV DNA in skin tags and said it should be looked at as a possible causative factor. That surprised me, since I'd never heard that before, and I don't think it's commonly accepted. The more likely link seems to be with insulin resistance.

[SocialbFly]

i a gonna post a diff thread with the info for HPV....interesting...
here is more info on it...to back up what you and Misty said....but in truth, these are more of the warty lesions, not the simple skin tag variety, seems there is conflicting info...

Diseases and Associated HPV Subtypes Nongenital Cutaneous Disease HPV Type
Common warts (verrucae vulgaris)
Warts (Nongenital) 1, 2, 4, 26, 27, 29, 41, 57, 65
Plantar warts (myrmecias)
Warts, Plantar 1, 2, 4, 63
Flat warts (verrucae plana) 3, 10, 27, 28, 38, 41, 49
Butcher's warts (common warts of people who handle meat, poultry, and fish) 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 28
Mosaic warts 2, 27, 57
Ungual squamous cell carcinoma 16
Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (benign)
Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis 2, 3, 10, 12, 15, 19, 36, 46, 47, 50
Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (malignant or benign)
Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis 5, 8, 9, 10, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 37, 38
Nonwarty skin lesions 37, 38

thats a lot of warts and some funky names and even worse, conflicting info, gotta love medicine...

[Green Eyed Fairy]

raising hand...Krazy nurse friend here...lol...i use a big clipper that has been sanitized in alcohol and clip those suckers off, i had one in an obnoxious place that i tied off with sterile suture material, took forever to get off of me, good grief...so clippers are so much quicker but that being said, i don't do i to many, just the ones that drive me insane, and as Vickie said, some of those days it is a very short drive ;)


I have thought of this but.................HOW BADLY DOES THIS HURT????????

and how much does it bleed and how quickly to heal?


Also, I have what appears to be on on my aereola- I recently had a breast exam so I'm sure it was noticed but I never asked about it (meaning that it must not have looked too serious for them not to comment on it). Do you think it would be safe to do the same on it as the one on my neck?

[SocialbFly]

speaking as a person, not a nurse here, anything with the breast, i would have someone check out, i wouldnt do it myself...but hey, neck, arm folds yeah, i am on em...doesnt hurt cause it is so quick, bleeding can be stopped with pressure...i wouldnt do it in a private part, and i wouldnt do it under my stomach fold, cause i would be afraid of infection...

just my 10 cents

[MisticalMisty]

Whoa...I never heard THIS before! How do you know this?

Wellll..I went through a whole maybe I have HPV/Dysplasia thing a few months ago..and my mom turned into super researcher and found that skin tags can be caused by a strain of HPV and there are like 150 strains. That's my exaggeration by the way..LOL

Crazy shit.

[Ruby Ripples]

speaking as a person, not a nurse here, anything with the breast, i would have someone check out, i wouldnt do it myself...but hey, neck, arm folds yeah, i am on em...doesnt hurt cause it is so quick, bleeding can be stopped with pressure...i wouldnt do it in a private part, and i wouldnt do it under my stomach fold, cause i would be afraid of infection...

just my 10 cents

Wow thanks for all that info. I have a few of these but my mum had said not to cut them off as they bleed a lot. She suggested the tying thread tightly round them til they drop off. So it's good to hear of people who have cut them off and not bled to death :p . I am actually squirming in horror at the thought of guillotining them with nail clippers, I am SUCH a pain wimp these days. However, its very tempting, to think I could be tag-free in a few mins! If I can pluck and wax I should be able to conquer this!!

[BubbleButtBabe]

A friend of mine used clear fingernail polish on her skin tags and she said after a couple of weeks they fell off..She said to just paint them really well,something about them being smothered..

There is a topic some where on these boards with all the research I did about HPV and was shocked when I read that they do cause some skin tags..

[Forgotten_Futures]

I've got one on my whole body (that I know of) and it's right in my right armpit. Never got around to taking it off, but I think I might if I ever work up a real pain tolerance. Or if I used my sharpest knife I might not notice it; I've gone through skin on my hand with that thing and it didn't hurt in the least.

[BeautifulPoeticDisaster]

Skin tags are also very VERY common in women with PCOS and are an indicator of insulin resistance.

That's where mine come from...no hpv here.

[Pookie]

I get them on my neck, they grow and die off by themselves quite often. I have cut them off before with a razor blade and boy did it bleed! Have tried trying them off but found it hurt longer for the same effect, so just nip them off instead if they get sore. They are all tiny, none bigger than half a grain of rice, so I figured they where all safe to mess with.

[lemmink]

The Amoils company (healing oils) have a money back guarantee on removing skin tags, and their other products do work. You could try them, although I've no personal experience with it, their other things do.

[Friday]

Mine are too small to tie anything around but they annoy the hell out of me because they are usually on my neck between my jaw and shoulder somewhere. I have a good pair of nail clippers and I just snip them suckers right off. They don't bleed that much although I wouldn't do it right before leaving the house. It's better than picking at them which I've also done until they fall off.

[Sweet Tooth]

I'd always had a few skin tags, even as a teenager, but when I developed PCOS and IR, the number greatly increased. Mostly, I just live with them, as the majority are small ones on my neck. I've had pea-sized ones elsewhere. Those I had removed by a dermatologist, just for safety and scarring reasons.

To remove the tiny ones on my neck, I use a well-sanitized pair of curved cuticle scissors, lots of rubbing alcohol, lots of Neosporin, and lots of Band-Aids. The reason for the curved cuticle scissors is that they are both made to get small bits of skin and the curve helps me feel like I'm not going to impale my neck on them. If I have someone to help, I let them cut them off, but the technique is still basically the same. Sanitize everything well, including your skin, and pull gently with your fingernails and cut them off at the narrow bridge of skin you see. They will bleed quite a bit for their size. I've gotten some twisted, so the blood doesn't flow back out of them, and they fall off on their own in a couple of days. I haven't done that with big ones, though, so consulting a dermatologist is still my recommendation for those!

I'm not sure how to prevent them, but I do know I get more at certain times of year when I'm wearing certain styles of clothing more often. [Think winter and turtlenecks.]

[GenericGeek]

The fact that skin tags are/may be caused by HPV shouldn't scare anybody -- it just means "Human Papilloma Virus", and there are over 150 strains (as someone else already pointed out.) "Papilloma" in turn basically just means "wart"...

The strain of HPV implicated in cervical cancer is the one commonly associated with genital warts. But just as the herpes simplex virus that causes chicken pox is NOT the same as herpes simplex II (which causes genital herpes), your garden-variety HPV that causes warts on the hands & face isn't the scary kind :eek: the vaccine pushers have an expensive product to protect against.

Skin tag removal is usually pretty cheap in the Dr.s office -- I think mine charges $25 for the procedure. So why not let her do it? But if I was really bound & determined to try it myself, I'd either go with an over-the-counter wart removal product, or get some electronics freezer spray at Radio Shack & freeze the sucker off.

Alternatively, one COULD take a can of Dust-Off, turn it upside down, and CAREFULLY deliver a freezing blast to the skin tag that way. That is, if "using this product in a manner contrary to its labeling" was NOT a violation of Federal Law... :rolleyes:

[Esme]

I just went to my doctor and she snipped them off with no problem. It was clean, fairly pain-free and quick. I trust her to do the work with sanitary tools rather than just hacking away at them myself. Just my experience FWIW. :rolleyes:

[PrettyLife]

If you cut them off do they come back in the same spot?

[Admiral_Snackbar]

I have them occasionally and use a very simple method. In some cases they came back, in others not:

1) If you have access to a hospital or a nurse, the issue is to get a small size hemostat (basically a ridged pliers that locks, used mainly to close off blood vessels; staple of many MASH episodes).

2) Initially sterilize the hemostat by dipping the business end (not locked) with rubbing alcohol, then run over an open flame; the tip will ignite in blue flame then go out.**

3) Run a razorblade over the same flame for a few seconds. Then put the hemostat tip in the open flame for about 20 seconds.

4) Clamp the base of the skin tag, then use the razor and slice neatly across the clamped end. Instant cautery. The pain is minimal and no bleeding if done right.

This works for the easier to reach tags. Not to go all TMI but I had one on the bottom of my scrotum that kept coming back; nothing screams KELLY CLARKSON like trimming the thatch down there and getting the trimmer caught on it. Also I do highly recommend that you keep the open flame and the alcohol far away from said nether regions, otherwise you get what the porno industry calls "old style bikini wax".

There is also some type of wart remover that uses intense cold to 'freeze' the wart and it is available OTC I believe. Never tried that on a tag, mainly because I wanted to slice it off and be done with it.

**DISCLAIMER: For thems who have taken microbiology or similar studies, the alcohol and flame burns off any existing bacteria. However, do not get the alcohol on the base of the hemostat or your skin, since you'll quickly get a hand on fire. The flame only lasts for a second but you get all the hair burned off.

[ThatFatGirl]

Just wanted to share a gross, funny, and timely skin tag story with the board... about a week ago in the shower my hair somehow got wrapped around a rather huge skin tag growing on my back. This particular tag has often been a pest as it's right in the middle of my back where my bra strap hits and rubs against it, and most frustratingly is completely out of my reach. I've been meaning to ask my doctor to get rid of it for me, but totally forgot last time I was in to see her. Well now with the hair wrapped around it, it's bigger, bulbous, more uncomfortable than ever and truly hideous with my dark hair wrapped around it... I have an appointment with a dermatologist for a week from Friday. I'm likely to take an Xacto knife or hair cutting shears to it before then (kidding... kinda). I begged my hubby to perform the quick surgery for me this weekend, but he was too squeamish. My brother thought his wife might be up for it given her general love of the macabre, but she was off in snoozeland when we asked the other night. I just want someone to rip it off me. Please.

I have about 3 other little ones in various places (one under my left boob, and one in each armpit). I purchased the New Skin bandage stuff and will report back on how it works. I can't reach this nasty one in the middle of my back with the three inch applicator brush the New Skin comes with, but I haven't given up yet. I have paintbrushes... :)

[Risible]

Okay, kids, I got me some Liquid Bandage, have applied two coats this evening- and I'll guess I'll wait for a few days to see what happens. I also got some Compound W to continue the experiment. Mwah-ha-ha!

I'll be in touch-

Yours Truly,

The Human Lab

[SocialbFly]

but we expect a fulll write up when you are done...lol

[BeautifulPoeticDisaster]

Interesting fact of the day: skin tags stretch. I had a little one....so I thought I would pull it off. It didn't hurt, but it wouldn't come off, just kept stretching....weird.

[Risible]

Okay, followup:

I've been using the liquid bandage for several days now and- nothing. No improvement or headway whatsoever. I've been reapplying the bandage on an as-needed basis. I did get the generic product as opposed to the New Skin brand, so mayhap that would make a difference.

I've started with Compound W today on several. I'll post in a few days to let you know how that is working.

After that, I'm gonna try Compound W Freeze Off; surely that'll work. *crosses fingers*

Stay tuned.

[saucywench]

OK, y'all might not believe this, but it's true.

I get skin tags from time to time, usually on my neck, although I think I've had some under my arms. They're pretty small, as a rule. I can't recall the first time I did this, but...I was fiddling with one on my neck one time, and I pulled and pulled, and it just...came off. There was no bleeding. I'd say I've done that maybe 3 or 4 times since then, and always the same thing. It's weird.

[Risible]

OK, y'all might not believe this, but it's true.

I get skin tags from time to time, usually on my neck, although I think I've had some under my arms. They're pretty small, as a rule. I can't recall the first time I did this, but...I was fiddling with one on my neck one time, and I pulled and pulled, and it just...came off. There was no bleeding. I'd say I've done that maybe 3 or 4 times since then, and always the same thing. It's weird.

Whoa. That's really something. Any pain doing that? Have they grown back?

[saucywench]

Whoa. That's really something. Any pain doing that? Have they grown back?
Very little pain, if any, but I have a high pain threshhold...maybe some mild discomfort, but no worse than tweezing eyebrows (what's really worse is pulling an errant hair from my chin, ouch!) I think I sort of pinched while I pulled, come to think of it. I have very short fingernails, when I have any at all, so I quite likely severed them between my fingernails. They came clean off, leaving no excess behind. I don't recall that it left any mark to speak of, maybe a little pink spot, so I can't say for certain if any of them grew back in the same place. I get them fairly infrequently, so it's not like I do it on a regular basis.

My father had quite a few of them, and he was quite fat for most of my life (at least until I was about 32 or so), so I guess I acquired them from both heredity and from being fat.

[Letiahna]

Okay, followup:

I've been using the liquid bandage for several days now and- nothing. No improvement or headway whatsoever. I've been reapplying the bandage on an as-needed basis. I did get the generic product as opposed to the New Skin brand, so mayhap that would make a difference.

I've started with Compound W today on several. I'll post in a few days to let you know how that is working.

After that, I'm gonna try Compound W Freeze Off; surely that'll work. *crosses fingers*

Stay tuned.

I'm very interested in this topic as I've been quoted $275 for a 1/2 hour session to remove skin tags :eek: Insurance companies consider them 'not medically necessary' so I would love to be able to take care of these at home. Please note that I have a very low pain threshold, I'm a complete wuss so... any other tips besides using nail clippers would be ideal for me.

Anyway, did the Compound W work??? :D

[ThatFatGirl]

That nasty skin tag in the middle of my back that my hair got wrapped around fell off completely on its own the morning of my dermatologist appointment. I kept the appointment anyway and had the doctor look at my other three. She told me she would submit removal of them to my insurance company stating that they were irritated and causing me pain, but if my insurance company refuses to pay, she'd invoice me for $145 EACH. So I took a chance with the one that is bothersome under my left breast. I think she freezed it and sliced it off. Anyway, I'm about 99% sure that it is infected right now. I'm hitting it with Neosporin and a band-aid each morning. I might put the New Skin liquid bandage on it tonight (on my way to work this morning and running late because I keep posting here... heh). The spot on my back where the other simply fell off? Healed perfectly. *sigh*

[Pookie]

Maybe try the same technique on purpose then? Tie some dental floss or thread round the others rather than cutting them off, if thats how your body prefers to get rid of them. I have tried tieing and it hurt more than nipping them off but I dont get infections easily.

[kr7]

OK, so I finally got to go to the dermatologist. I had actually gone for another problem, but since I just went through having an unexplained rash around my skin tags on the neck, I asked him about them (or tried to). It was kinda like a scene from a cartoon. I tried to spit out my question as quickly as it is humanly possible, as he run passed me on the way to another (more interesting?) patient. :rolleyes: All I managed to get out of him was that he doesn't see anything now, so he wouldn't do anything (I tried to get him to remove them). Oh well. Nothing new there. That's the usual treatment I get at the all doctor's offices. Sorry guys, I didn't get any info for you. :(

Chris

[Risible]

Actually, I've had some results, so I was just getting ready to post again.

The Compound W, applied to two tags on an experimental basis, worked.

One of the tags turned into scar tissue over a period of several days and fell off, almost two weeks after applying the Compound W. I applied the CW four times over a period of two days, then stopped when someone PM'd me and advised me to remove them with sterilized scissors after numbing the area with ice, which would be less painful in the long run than burning it off with the CW.

The other tag formed a scar on its tip, and that scar tissue has fallen off. The rest of the tag remains, however.

So, the CW does work, but it was painful, in a small way, during the last few days, as the tag was directly under one of my breasts, which would brush against the embattled tag, irritating it and causing it to be painful. I am left with a 1 cm pink spot, that may leave a small scar.

Next, I will have Bio remove a couple of tags with sterilized scissors. I'll have to buy a new, sharp pair of scissors, because while I have a million pair of scissors around, none of them are very sharp.

I'll post the results.

[Letiahna]

Actually, I've had some results, so I was just getting ready to post again.

The Compound W, applied to two tags on an experimental basis, worked.

One of the tags turned into scar tissue over a period of several days and fell off, almost two weeks after applying the Compound W. I applied the CW four times over a period of two days, then stopped when someone PM'd me and advised me to remove them with sterilized scissors after numbing the area with ice, which would be less painful in the long run than burning it off with the CW.

The other tag formed a scar on its tip, and that scar tissue has fallen off. The rest of the tag remains, however.

So, the CW does work, but it was painful, in a small way, during the last few days, as the tag was directly under one of my breasts, which would brush against the embattled tag, irritating it and causing it to be painful. I am left with a 1 cm pink spot, that may leave a small scar.

Next, I will have Bio remove a couple of tags with sterilized scissors. I'll have to buy a new, sharp pair of scissors, because while I have a million pair of scissors around, none of them are very sharp.

I'll post the results.

Thank you so much for 'volunteering' for this! :D I really appreciate it :)

[Risible]

All this talk prompted me to have my sister look at my skin tags and moles to check for regularity. She found a dark spot on the side of my face that's kinda hard for me to see, so I am going to have it looked at soon. It's about the size of two pencil erasers and it's a gray-ish brown color, so it bears professional advice I think.

Thanks for all the good conversations, this is what makes this forum great :)

Missaf, I know I won't remember to ask next time I see you, but, if you remember, let me know what this is. I have something similar on my chest, though it's the size of a single pencil eraser in diameter and flat.

[kr7]

......I have something similar on my chest, though it's the size of a single pencil eraser in diameter and flat.

Sorry to butt in, but I just wanted to let you and anyone interested, know the mole ABCD's to watch for in skin cancer:

Asymmetry-irregular shaped moles are more suspicious

Border-irregular or sharply undulating border could mean trouble

Color-black, uneven, or bluish tint spells trouble, but there are instances that very light mole (like the one I had removed) could be cancerous. In this category, I would treat with suspicion anything other than medium brown.

Diameter-if it is any bigger than a pencil eraser have it checked

If any of you guys spot a mole or even an "age spot" that has any of these features, please, please, please have it checked out. I did, and I was very lucky to have caught it in time.

Also, please be aware that skin cancer is not limited to mole-like things. Some cancers can look like fleshy bumps, sores, or even scars. So if you have any things on your skin that are unusual, have them checked. Stay healthy! :D

Chris

[Tina]

Great post, Chris, thank you.

[Pookie]

*nods* thank you Chris, yes, I just went and got a something that looked like a scar checked and its actually a cyst, so am organising removal. It always pays to be vigilent.

[kr7]

*nods* thank you Chris, yes, I just went and got a something that looked like a scar checked and its actually a cyst, so am organising removal. It always pays to be vigilent.

I am glad you had it checked out. Better safe now, than sorry later. :D