Before the summer break, I video chat leisurely with my mom from my dorm bed. After asking about the recovery of my kidney stone, my mother suddenly said, “Is there a mole on your chin? Why is it so big?”
I turned over to the bed and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, I found a mole on the left edge of my chin. When I touched it with my hand, it still felt raised , and my heart throbbed.
I don’t usually wear makeup, I rarely look in the mirror, and this mole is located on the edge of my chin, and the location is relatively hidden. If it wasn’t for my mom’s reminder, I wouldn’t even know I had a mole on my chin. It is estimated that it has grown out recently, but the color is already very dark, and the base part is relatively large, like “sticking” to the skin, with a slight bulge.
Looking closely, there are black vellus hairs on it, and the vellus hairs are still long. I can’t help but think of the “thorn monkeys” (also long black hairs on them) that grow on many people’s bodies, and I instantly got goosebumps everywhere. . But what worries me the most is if it turns into a malignant melanoma…
Surgery to cut black moles, is it a “big deal”?
When I was in the first year of junior high, a cousin wanted to have melanoma removed. I happened to be staying at her house, so I went to join in the fun. As a result, the doctor looked at her, turned his head to see me, pointed to the mole on the upper right side of my lips, and said , ” You are near the nose and mouth, so cut it too .” So I followed my sister to get blood drawn. An electrocardiogram was done, and arrhythmia appeared on the electrocardiogram because I was too nervous.
The black mole at that time was in a prominent place on the face, so the doctor removed it and used a beauty needle to stitch it up. Now there is only a white scar the size of a millet, which is basically invisible.
So I decided to find that doctor again this time, but my mom thought I was making a fuss . Not only did she persuade me on the phone to follow her when she was going to “point moles”, she also tried to use the pretext of shopping to pull me to the spot where the moles were spotted. I touched the raised moles and shook my head again and again.
From top to bottom are the summer vacation of sixth grade, freshman and sophomore.
It can be clearly seen that in the sixth grade there was only a visible mole on the upper right side of the lips;
When I was a freshman, the moles on my lips had been cut off, but no new ones had grown on my chin;
In the summer vacation of the second year, there was an obvious black mole on the chin, about 3 mm.
| Photo courtesy of the author
From the day I found out that I had a new mole, I paid special attention to this information. The information found shows that moles that need attention and surgical removal are usually distributed in places that are prone to friction such as hands, feet, mouth, and perineum ; raised moles also need extra vigilance, and they should be removed as soon as possible, because only surgical removal can The “root” of the mole is uprooted ; lasers and drugs are easy to cause irritation to the mole, and it is easy to recur after the mole is removed. If the lesion is stimulated repeatedly, cancer may occur quietly.
After researching the information, I didn’t dare to find a spot to “point a mole”, but decided to remove it by surgery. Since I can’t get wet after the surgery, I plan to wait until the weather is cooler.
The cut is as small as a grain of rice
However, the preoperative examination should not be less
At the end of August 2020, the weather finally became cooler, and I went to the hospital early in the morning for a preoperative examination.
In the laboratory department, the doctor held my arm and searched for blood vessels for a long time. When the needle was inserted, he could see that his hand was shaking. I watched the needle tremble under my skin, but the whole person was very calm, and I even wanted to comfort the little medical nurse. It was actually pretty good to be able to put a needle into my vein.
Two tubes of blood were drawn and the electrocardiogram continued. I took a deep breath in advance, my heart was calm, and my heart rate was stable. After I got the electrocardiogram, I went back and waited for the blood test results. Looking at the results of the four preoperative tests, the doctor sighed, “You don’t have hepatitis B antibodies?” I nodded tearfully and felt sorry for the “boost vaccine” I had taken.
Scissors “click”
cut the flesh of my jaw
Lying on the operating table, facing the shadowless lamp, the ECG monitor was clipped on the finger, half of the face and neck were wiped with iodine, the whole face was covered with a green cloth, only a small area was exposed… such a big The battle was just to remove a mole the size of a grain of rice, and even I suddenly felt that it might really be a big deal.
But the bow did not turn back and the anesthesia was ready. It was impossible to jump off the operating table at this time.
I dare say that the anaesthetic injection is the most painful injection I have ever had . Because after the needle is injected, the doctor has to pick up the needle and slap it in other directions, so that the whole piece will lose consciousness. After the anesthesia, my jaw was completely numb, and my eyes were covered by a green cloth, so I couldn’t see anything .
The place where my mole grows is very strange. It is right on the edge of my chin. The doctor broke my head and gestured towards it for a long time before deciding to cut it horizontally. The incision may be a little longer, but it is said that the cut is clean.
During the entire operation, the most obvious sound was the sound of the scissors cutting something, “clicking”, which was quite clear . I didn’t know that I was actually nervous, and the beeping of the ECG monitor was obviously quickening. One of the doctors started asking me small questions , like how old I was, where I went to school and when it started.
However, she forgot one very important thing – my chin is under the knife, and if I move it casually, it may cut where it shouldn’t . Sadly, I had to answer her question with my fingers and “um”.
After 15 minutes, the doctor begins to prepare the stitches. “Little sister, I used a beauty needle for you. The needle is small and it’s not easy to leave scars!” As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a cool thing go through my flesh . It’s an amazing feeling, you do n’t feel pain, but you can feel coolness (I got goosebumps again while typing this). But then, I couldn’t feel the needle anymore, maybe it was warmed by me.
After the stitches were stitched, the doctor asked me to make a smile. With difficulty, I lifted the lower half of my face, which was completely unconscious, and then with difficulty raised the corners of my mouth, revealing a wicked smile similar to that of the God of War with a crooked mouth . The doctor smiled satisfactorily: “You just have a nerve there. I’m very careful when I do it, otherwise you will be paralyzed on half of your face now.”
I:……
After getting off the operating table, the doctor showed me the freshly removed mole. Because the root was to be removed, the last piece of meat that was cut out was a cone-shaped piece of meat . I glanced at it and turned my eyes away.
After the doctor threw it in the trash, I remembered that I forgot to do a biopsy, what if it was really melanoma, but on second thought, it has been cut off anyway, our small hospital is probably Nor does it have the ability to biopsy.
In this way, for a black mole, I went to the operating table once, and in addition to getting iodine for half my neck and a lot of taboos, I also got half of my face that could not close and just wanted to drool like a three-year-old child.
It is worth mentioning that there are folk sayings in our country that “mole is rich and noble”, “step on a seven-star mole, can control the world’s soldiers” and other sayings, these old sayings make me a little worried that the harm of moles may be ignored by people.
If you also have some raised moles that are prone to friction, or moles that grow rapidly and have uneven edges, don’t just find a small shop to “point moles”, it is recommended to go to the hospital first. Just cut, cut the mole and remove the root in time.
Doctor Reviews
Xie Heng | Attending Physician, Department of Medical Aesthetics, Guangdong Dermatology Hospital
As the author said at the end of the article, the moles that are most prone to malignant transformation are moles that are repeatedly stimulated , such as perennial mechanical friction on the palms, soles, and waistbands, and repeated burning by lasers and repeated stimulation by chemical agents. [1]
As for the mole on the author’s face, the time is good, and the reason why people get rid of it is generally for aesthetics. Folklore says that raised or hairy moles are “bad” and will turn malignant, but in fact, if there are no risk factors mentioned above, there is basically no risk.
Regarding the treatment of pigmented moles, the most commonly used methods are laser ablation and surgical excision . [1]
The advantage of laser is that there is no need to use a knife, no sutures or stitches are required after surgery, and the recovery is fast; but the disadvantages are also obvious. In order to burn clean, theoretically, the burn should be deep enough, but if it is too deep, it will leave scars, and After burning, there is no difference between mole cells and normal cells to the naked eye, and it is difficult to grasp the end point of treatment. This is a treatment that walks a tightrope among contradictions. Therefore, at present, lasers are generally only used for moles with a diameter of ≤3 mm , which can cut weeds and roots at one time without leaving obvious traces.
For moles larger than 3 mm in diameter, surgery is required . In most cases, the incision is fusiform, and the transverse diameter and the long diameter are about 1:2~3, so that the deformation is minimal when sutured. But for the face, in order to reduce the length of the postoperative scar, it is sometimes possible to cut directly around the edge of the mole. The final plan depends on the joint opinion of the doctor and the patient. If cosmetic suture is used, only a small linear scar will be left after the operation, and it will not be visible unless you get close.
After the operation, follow the doctor’s instructions to care and change the medicine. In fact, there is no need to avoid it . Some doctors advise against eating spicy food and drinking alcohol, because they are afraid that sweating will increase the risk of infection, and the increase in skin blood flow will also increase the probability of wound bleeding, but in fact, these are not absolute contraindications.
As for the so-called “potion-spotted mole” , many melanomas in our country have been thanks to him for decades. Many doctors detest it and advise everyone not to go there .
Finally, how do we determine which moles are at greater risk on a daily basis? Do you want to kill all moles when you see them?
You don’t have to. First of all, in general, people will not grow new moles after the age of 30, and if they do, they should be highly concerned. For such moles, as well as moles in dangerous parts, everyone should observe them according to the ABCDE principle . [2]
A (Asymmetry): Asymmetry
B (Border irregularity): border irregularity
C (Color variation): Color variation, such as lighter, darker, or mottled
D (Diameter > 6 mm): Diameter > 6 mm
E (Evolving): Gradual uplift
As long as the mole has the above changes recently, or you feel pain, itching or even ulceration, or there are several small moles like satellites around the mole, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible, “click”, and cut off the troubles with a knife root. [3]
references
[1] Nenclares P, Ap Dafydd D, Bagwan I, et al. Head and neck mucosal melanoma: The United Kingdom national guidelines[J]. European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England: 1990), 2020, 138: 11–18 .
[2] Dundas J. The ABCDEs of Melanoma and Their Applicability to the Field of Physical Therapy[J]. Physical Therapy, 2020, 100(6): 894–896.
[3] Trager MH, Geskin LJ, Samie FH, et al. Biomarkers in melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer prevention and risk stratification[J]. Experimental Dermatology, 2020.
Personal experience sharing does not constitute a diagnosis and treatment recommendation, and cannot replace a doctor’s individual judgment on a specific patient. If you need to seek medical treatment, please go to a regular hospital.
Author: Xiangli
Edit: Cloud
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