Wart, mole or something else?!

[Daisy]

Gem - I am so glad you did get it checked out. I hope your mind is at rest now. I think we're all guilty at times of putting off a visit to the doctors for all sorts of reasons, but we really should know better! xxx

[Nana]

As you know I'm prone to skin problems. I took mum to get a benign skin cancer removed from her back. Whilst she was waiting for the numbing injection to work I cheekily asked the specialist to check my forhead as I was unsure about it. She looked with her magnifying tool & said it was ok & no, she was glad I asked.

It still hadn't gone so I asked my dr to check it. He also said it looked ok. A yr or so after that I mentioned it to another GP & she wasn't sure so referred me onto the dermatologist specialist. The consultant said she wasn't sure either but to be on the safe side she wanted it removed & jokingly said I could have two for the price of one & have a cyst taken off my eyelid at the same time. 👍

I had both procedures done & everything went well. I was convinced the forhead one was nothing & was surprised it was a rodent ulcer (benign skin cancer). I had to re-arrange two follow-up appointments & I go later this month. Funnily enough three more little ones have come up on my forhead since my last visit. I'll keep you all posted.

[Gemini]

Can you have benign cancer Nana? I have never heard of that, I thought cancer was a malignancy. I have heard of benign tumours.

[Daisy]

Nana - I've never heard of a rodent ulcer either! The main thing is they're benign, thank goodness.

[Plantaholic]

I have this rodent ulcer on the side of my forehead and apparently it is called that because it is as if something is nibbling away the edges. they are pre-cancerous. Mine hasn't changed much, been there for years but every so often it bleeds which is a nuisance. My husband served in the war in North Africa and never used protection when he was gardening later. He had numerous skin pre-cancers removed but when the specialist looked at one he was more concerned about a sort of stain on his forehead. He had to have it removed and had 10 stitches on his forehead, so they don't always look like warts. They wanted to remove more skin later but he refused as he was already turned 80. When he went for a check-up the specialist asked him to remove his clothes down to his pants and checked all over his body. I am going to ask them to check a place on my leg when I go to the clinic in March.

[Nana]

A rodent ulcer is a type of benign skin cancer Gem. Best one to get as once it's taken off it's gone. They don't worry me in the slightest. Plant you're doing the right thing. They've never turned me down yet to look at extra lesions I point out to them. The thing with these is to have them checked early. Don't spend ages worrying because if they are Basal cell carsenomas (official term) they are easily removed. Job done