Suspicious 'freckle' on my nose

19 years ago

Several months ago I noticed a freckle on the side of my nose. I didn't remember seeing it before, but I can't say for sure it wasn't there -- maybe I just didn't notice. I have some freckles on my face but not a ton of them. It is perfectly round, about 1/8" diameter, and it has a *slightly* rough surface but it is not raised at all. It is darker than all the freckles around it (which are barely noticable at all).

I finally came to my senses and made an appointment to see my dermatologist later this month. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if this might be melanoma and, if so, how she will remove it. I'm starting to get a little nervous about it since it is very close to the tip of my nose. =8-0 I'm not as concerned about the health aspects of it as I am about losing half my nose, if you know what I mean.

Of course, it might not be anything at all. I'm just thinking ahead and wondering if I should plan to take the following week off work....

Jen

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Comments (7)

Boopadaboo
19 years ago
they will only remove the spot itself IF they think it is suspicious looking. If not they will measure it. If they do remove it they will do a biopsy and they will not remove too much. If it is melanoma then you will have to discuss your options and what it will do to your nose. there are other types of skin cancer as well. while i understand that you are "not as concerned about the health aspects of it as I am about losing half my nose, if you know what I mean" I don't know what you mean. having melonoma is no joke, and there are plenty of people that have not been successful fighting it that would be happy to have lost a part of their nose. if you don't have a history of it in your family and you have not been burned severly or many times as a child than odds are it is not melanoma. good for you that you are getting it checked out though. better safe than sorry.
jenn
Original Author
19 years ago
I really didn't mean it as a joke... I agree that melanoma is no laughing matter. My parents have had basal cell cancers removed in recent years but they are 75 and 85... I feel if they made it this long, and they are both fair-skinned and baked in the sun before sunscreen was invented, then I am probably OK. But I agree that it's much better to be safe than sorry.

Thanks for the encouragement...

Jen
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Boopadaboo
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Well let us know how it goes! Sorry if I am a bit hypersensitive - I have it and have a huge scar on my back - lucky for me I caught it early though. I also know someone (old boyfriend) who has a few weeks to live because he didn't catch it early. you would think after knowing I had it and his father died from it he would have gotten checked more frequently!!! it is so sad. he is only 37!
morz8 - Washington Coast
19 years ago
This would be worst case scenario, Jenn, and probably not something you would deal with with one first time suspicious freckle - I wouldn't want you to be overly concerned about your upcoming appointment...

My SIL's mother has had several small melanomas removed from her face...the last one was the third on her nose and while it healed quickly, it did leave a definite indentation.

This lovely, gracious lady who signs for the deaf at church services, teaches bible classes to female inmates, counsels unwed teen mothers, serves at food bank once per week, was just vain enough to feel a little self concious about her new profile. No problem a couple of hours with a cosmetic surgeon couldn't resolve...her nose looks entirely normal, didn't even require in patient care or a general anesthetic.
jenn
Original Author
19 years ago
Boop -- I'm so sorry about your old boyfriend. I think people are just now starting to realize it can happen to everyone, not just fair-skinned or fair-haired people. I hope you will be healed of it. My great-grandfather died from skin cancer that spread to his brain from a "sore" on his face. That was in about 1907 when treatment was pretty much just grasping at straws. My elderly parents have had benign lesions removed and they are both fair-skinned, so I don't think my risk is huge.

MorZ8 -- thank you for sharing that. :-) It is scary... I don't want to be vain.... but when it comes to the nose... :o) I have a healthy concern and I think my doctor is wonderful and I will trust God with the rest that is out of my control.

Jen
princess_z
17 years ago
I recently discovered something completely ugly... a spot on the tip of my nose. It is slightly raised but not very big. It's not a pimple! But is mistaken as one... :( It doesn't seem to go away either. Does anyone know what it could be?
over_n_under
17 years ago
Go to a dermatologist and have it checked out. It can most likely be removed without any stitches. If you wait and it grows, then you might need some stitches.

Sometimes you can have it removed and have it covered under insurance because it is 'suspicious'.

Be prepared to have a complete skin check. I went in for just such a thing - a spot on my nose. And I ended up with a complete skin check, in addition to the special attention to the spot on my nose. I now have a skin check annually.

Suspicious 'freckle' on my nose

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Boopadaboo

jenn
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Suspicious 'freckle' on my nose

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Boopadaboo

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morz8 - Washington Coast

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