I have beauty marks everywhere but I have a big mole on my lower back. What can I use to make it go away or smaller, at least without having surgery or anything expensive like that?
Moley
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Dear Dr. Jeff
Dear Moley,
The vast majority of beauty marks, birthmarks, moles, pigmented lesions, nevi, or whatever you choose to call them, are benign - harmless. However, some are not. It is this much smaller latter group that must be distinguished from the former group. Pigmented skin lesions present from birth have a greater incidence of degeneration to a malignant lesion than those that arise later in life. Of course, there are no rules and no guarantees. Any lesion present at any point in time on any part of the body could prove problematic.
Fred Savage plays Number Three in "Austin Powers in Goldmember".
As a general rule, pigmented skin lesions that have notably increased in size, changed their coloration or pigmentation, are no longer smooth but have developed irregularities along the edges, or have recently become raised should absolutely be evaluated. While the dermatologist would be the best person to evaluate such lesions initially, the plastic surgeon would be the best choice for excision of lesions that are large or located in specialized areas such as the face, breast, or genitalia. Regarding the "big mole" on your back, if it is, indeed, substantial in size it should certainly be evaluated and potentially excised. Larger birthmarks may require serial or multiple excisions to completely remove the lesion. An important thing to keep in mind is that this type of surgery is not considered cosmetic and should be covered by insurance in almost every case.
Thanks for your question!
Dr. Jeff
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Please note that unless you are actually my patient, in which case I have seen you at The Chicago Center for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, then I am technically not your doctor. These posts and responses to inquiries are provided for educational and entertainment purposes but cannot apply to any individual patient who has not been directly evaluated by myself or another board-certified plastic surgeon.
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