Adventures in Dermatology

I took Michael to a dermatologist this afternoon to have her look at a couple of his moles.  We'd been to our family doc and he was unsure enough to refer Michael on, so today was the day.  The mole that I was most worried about (she referred to it as a "fried egg" style) was not worrisome to her.  The other mole, the one that he's had for years on his upper arm, was deemed "interesting" and she suggested that he have it removed.  We had the option to have it done today so we went ahead.

It was something to see.  She gave him a little local anesthetic, used this long, skinny, cookie-cutter instrument to cut out the mole, injected a little more anesthetic, and then inserted a stitch into the incision.  The mole will be sent to pathology.  He's to keep the incision covered with a bandage and antibiotic ointment for two weeks when she'll remove the stitch.  He also needs to avoid strenuous activity with that arm.

I also asked her about a little cluster of spider veins on his cheek, about an inch below his eye. She said that she would try cauterizing the feeder veins, and if it didn't improve (over the next six weeks), she'd try a laser treatment.  So he had that done too.

We were in and out in 30 minutes and it was a very pleasant experience, unlike the other dermatologist that Alex has seen in the past, who is routinely 45 minutes to an hour late and doesn't relate well at all to teens.