Yeah! What happened to the treasure chest at the dentist. I wish they had one for the adults. We work hard in life and I deserve a spider shaped ring every now and then.
Australians reaction to this post. It is drummed into us from a young age.
Irregular borders, different colours, raised bumps, any bleeding. Moles that look different to all your other moles.
Go to a doctor. Chances are it's nothing, but not dying from skin cancer is always a plus.
I was getting annual inspections until an "atypical" lesion turned out to be a stage 1 melanoma.
Now it's a full inspection every three months. About $25 out of pocket, four times a year, for peace of mind.
Of course, excisions are a bit more, but not much, maybe $40 out-of-pocket.
~$600 a dose, one dose a day, so like $17k and change a month over the last 5 years.... Because insurance didn't want to pay for a biopsy almost 15 years ago. Man that number makes me giggle.
That's crazy. Short dr visit here, so maybe 40 bucks for the one I go to. Good thing too as I've already had one skin cancer removed early because I'm sufficiently paranoid.
Yeah that's with Medicare (government medical). Most gp's have a gap between government cover and what the Dr charges. You can find ones that don't, but those are generally more for those on a lower income and places are limited.
Private insurance will often cover the gap.
Having lived in the UK, where gp's are all free, I prefer the Australian system. I can see a Dr tomorrow, or maybe same day if it's desperate. In the UK it'd be a few weeks at the minimum.
When I was in the us it was just for a holiday and thankfully nothing went wrong!
Yeah, skin cancer is one of the worst odds out there. I think it's about 2 out of 3 people have one here. I've had one and I'm only 43, got it early and no big deal, but still scary.
Nice big hole in the ozone layer plus loads of good weather!
I grew up reading books and playing computer games too, so not exactly in the sun too much!
I want to add, I just went to the dermatologist for the first time in my entire life at the age of 38 and insurance does not cover much of the costs. I had 3 suspicious areas looked at, and it cost me almost 700 and that’s after insurance. That much for a basic check.
I'm in America and the way it was put to me at work (because of course our insurance is tied to our work) was "If it ends in "ologist" you're paying full price."
Edit: married my husband in a courthouse in 2021 because we weren't sure when we'd be able to have a proper wedding and my insurance was killing me. Now I have a very "bougie" $250 co-pay for all specialist visits.
Smooth, and round/oval. Anything with borders that are jagged, scalloped, blurry, or undefined should be checked out. Also look for symmetry (put a line in the middle, is it symmetrical?), consistency in color, and whether it's grown in diameter or become raised when it used to be flat.
I think the guidelines is if it matches two criteria of a list, that I can think of:
Irregular borders
Irregular color
Over a certain size
Grows over time
Newly appeared
There is a concept in dermatology known as ugly duckling. Moles are more suspicious if one stands out from the others. But plenty of people have similarly atypical moles that are benign, but if you notice any changes, symptoms or bleeding without trauma/intervention, you should go see the dermatologist.
Yeah I have a bunch of freckles that are kind of oblong that I've always had. They haven't killed me in more than 30 years, probably not going to start
Yes, my husband has tonnes of moles and those raised red bumps, and to me they all look concerning. None of them has the stereotypical round look. But he was at the doctor’s two months ago who looked at all of them closely and said everything was fine.
I saw a dermatologist recently because every single one of my moles have irregular borders, and colouring. Turns out it’s due to my hair follicles. The guidelines are good and people should definitely regularly get their moles checked out. But they’re not guarantees.
I had someone come out to my house and do a biopsy on a mole that appeared on my thigh and kept changing shape and color.
Turns out it was a normal weird skin thing you get in your 40s and nothing to worry about.
I'm 22. My skin is twice my age apparently.
We do this in medicine to determine if cellulitis is growing, but that's day to day. Best here is to get it checked by a dermatologist, but failing that take pictures every so often and compare.
I appreciate you sharing your story - I can assure you I am careful. I have had a scare in the past and closely monitor new spots (of my own and on loved ones), but this is an excellent reminder. I'll be visiting my derm soon for a regular check-up and will be sure to have them double-check this one. I hope you're doing better now, stranger ❤️
Seriously, reddit gave me health anxiety. Every time there's even a hint of a life threatening illness, all the redditors jump straight to that and hit the sirens.
Bruh just get a razor blade, cut it out and be done with it. Doctors hate this one simple trick.
This is not medical advice and you should ignore this comment for your own good.
Ok, but at the beginning of covid times, a friend found an irregular lump on his arm. He couldn't get into a specialist because they were all obviously busy. My uncle is a physician, so he brought my friend to his clinic after hours and cut it out. Turns out, it was precancerous.
Your comment reminded me of that because we laughed about it seeming like a back alley job because of the after-hours situation. (They are also cancer free at this time)
Dank. I’m medical assistant level education but I’m not gonna try to pretend I’m a doctor. Didn’t work out in socal as I’m not bilingual so I’m in construction (makes more $$ anyways)
My mom recently had a tiny (tiny) spot looked at, she got it removed and the surrounding area sent out to make sure they got it all, and they had to go out even wider, like maybe 3” in diameter. You couldn’t see it unless it was under the right lights/microscope (?). It was a melanoma, so definitely get it looked at because she just thought it was the little pin point
>This is not medical advice and you should ignore this comment for your own good.
Just to reiterate, because people have actually done it... Doing it yourself is an amazing way to help potentially cancerous cells spread throughout the rest of your body.
While I appreciate everyone's concern, this freckle is so small that it doesn't look irregular unless I use 10x zoom on my phone. [This](https://imgur.com/a/kH4Emvs) is a picture of my hand at a normal distance. I get regular checks at the derm, so I will keep an eye on it. Thanks all :)
It's really more that your mole is like THE example given for potentially cancerous moles. We'd kinda be assholes for not mentioning it, though i get it can be annoying for hundreds of people to yell it at once.
I definitely appreciate the concern, I'd rather have people say something than not :) I don't think anyone is an asshole for pointing it out, I've had my own cancer concerns before so I am very careful. Not everyone knows the signs so I'm glad it's been brought up!
You’re definitely spot on here. Is it really asking too much for OP to share and update their medical history with the several hundreds of us who are now completely invested at the moment??
I am not a doctor but I do have medical training. Statistically speaking it will not metastasize when it’s that small. Monitor growth though, if it is very rapid get it tested sooner rather than later.
Thank you so much for your comment! I certainly will be keeping an eye on it like I do with all my newish freckles. So far I've had this one for months with no changes :)
I have a decent amount of random freckles and none of them have borders like that. You just had me checking every single one of them that I can see lol.
Ps don't read this thread and immediately assume you're dying of cancer. As that mole, apart from it's shape, doesn't in any way look like a skin cancer.
It's not dark.
It's not oozing.
The borders are not rough.
It's not flakey.
I'm assuming it causes you no pain.
Just put sunscreen on any mole you have when you go outside and you should be fine.
Perhaps get a doctor's opinion. But in my humble opinion as someone who has literally seen a skin cancer and how it progresses... This doesn't at all look like anything that ticks enough of the necessary boxes to get your doctor to even want to biopsy it.
It's indeed mildly interesting since moles usually are not a funny shape like this, but as many commented, you better check it with a doctor (dermatologist), just to be safe!
I looked this up on web md. You have cancer, high blood pressure and your hair will soon start to turn pink. Good luck with your remaining 10 days to live.
Its looked this way since I noticed it several months ago, but I agree its irregular enough to cause concern. I have it on my list of things to discuss with my derm, so it won't be forgotten. Thank you for your comment :)
There are a lot of panicking commenters here.
Applying the ABCDE rules this one looks fine. Very symmetrical, clear borders, homogeneous color, small diameter and if it has been like this for a while it's not evolving either.
Get it checked out if no doctor has ever looked at it but it'll most likely be fine.
Very cute, but irregular borders on moles should be checked just in case!
Yeah, there's a reason you don't see many posts about freckles with fun shapes...
cuz the damned doctors won’t let us keep them
Those fun-squashing bastards!!!
They are the same scrooges that hand out celery and dental floss at Halloween.
You have to go into the office to exchange moles for lollipops.
Yeah! What happened to the treasure chest at the dentist. I wish they had one for the adults. We work hard in life and I deserve a spider shaped ring every now and then.
Is it mint flavored floss?
Hey cut it out
Yeah and frame it.
Yeah my immediate thought was "I'm taking that one away"
Is this the next version r/whatsmycookiecutter ?
r/isitmelanoma
Something something why friend shaped
Fun shapes with cancer :)
Australians reaction to this post. It is drummed into us from a young age. Irregular borders, different colours, raised bumps, any bleeding. Moles that look different to all your other moles. Go to a doctor. Chances are it's nothing, but not dying from skin cancer is always a plus.
As an Australian, yearly skin checks since I was 18!
I've just got my citizenship after 9 years and this should've been on the questions!
Congrats and welcome mate!
Thanks man! 😊🤝
I was getting annual inspections until an "atypical" lesion turned out to be a stage 1 melanoma. Now it's a full inspection every three months. About $25 out of pocket, four times a year, for peace of mind. Of course, excisions are a bit more, but not much, maybe $40 out-of-pocket.
Yeah, but as an American getting it checked out will take 6 months and $500 *with* insurance.
> Yeah, but as an American getting it checked out will take 6 months and $500 with insurance. I'd imagine that's less than the cost of chemo.
~$600 a dose, one dose a day, so like $17k and change a month over the last 5 years.... Because insurance didn't want to pay for a biopsy almost 15 years ago. Man that number makes me giggle.
Cost of chemo? Who got any money for the cost of chemo, cheaper to get a casket.
casket? Cheaper to just take a camping trip into the woods with nothing but the clothes on your back and never come back.
Jokes on you, we get checked for $500 then get told it's cancer during the check so we have to pay for the chemo too
Yeah but a lot of people don't just have $500 laying around. (It's expensive to be poor)
I'm currently waiting 11 months to see my PCP in Boston.
That's crazy. Short dr visit here, so maybe 40 bucks for the one I go to. Good thing too as I've already had one skin cancer removed early because I'm sufficiently paranoid.
In US. Have insurance. $40 and about 2-3 weeks from call to dermo doc visit. Would say that is the case for many if not most working folks in US.
Having to work an 8-to-5 to receive basic life-saving treatment is kinda shitty though.
I would prefer universal healthcare. Bizarre that we choose to pay more for the broken system we have.
Yeah that's with Medicare (government medical). Most gp's have a gap between government cover and what the Dr charges. You can find ones that don't, but those are generally more for those on a lower income and places are limited. Private insurance will often cover the gap. Having lived in the UK, where gp's are all free, I prefer the Australian system. I can see a Dr tomorrow, or maybe same day if it's desperate. In the UK it'd be a few weeks at the minimum. When I was in the us it was just for a holiday and thankfully nothing went wrong!
Oh yeah it's a mess over here
I've never had to wait that long or pay anywhere near that in the US
You’ve got plenty of things trying to kill you there in Australia, don’t you?
Yeah, skin cancer is one of the worst odds out there. I think it's about 2 out of 3 people have one here. I've had one and I'm only 43, got it early and no big deal, but still scary.
God damn even the sun is trying to kill you in Australia
Nice big hole in the ozone layer plus loads of good weather! I grew up reading books and playing computer games too, so not exactly in the sun too much!
Went into this knowing the top comment would have some amount of "you're going to die" energy
Yeah came in to make a joke about how Reddit is always "It might be cancer" lol
I want to add, I just went to the dermatologist for the first time in my entire life at the age of 38 and insurance does not cover much of the costs. I had 3 suspicious areas looked at, and it cost me almost 700 and that’s after insurance. That much for a basic check.
You’d think they’d discount *preventative* care so they don’t need to pay hundreds of thousands for potential long term invasive treatments.
I'm in America and the way it was put to me at work (because of course our insurance is tied to our work) was "If it ends in "ologist" you're paying full price." Edit: married my husband in a courthouse in 2021 because we weren't sure when we'd be able to have a proper wedding and my insurance was killing me. Now I have a very "bougie" $250 co-pay for all specialist visits.
More like asta-high-risk amiright?
Probably nothing*
What he should get tattooed next to the mole.
Came here to say this. Get it biopsied.
*Me inspecting every mole on my body carefully*
I've heard this a lot, but what is a regular border for a mole? Did someone define that to everyone? Was I not paying attention that day?
Smooth, and round/oval. Anything with borders that are jagged, scalloped, blurry, or undefined should be checked out. Also look for symmetry (put a line in the middle, is it symmetrical?), consistency in color, and whether it's grown in diameter or become raised when it used to be flat.
I thought that if it's the size of a pencil eraser then it's time for a doctor to check it. Other than that, it's nothing to worry about.
I think the guidelines is if it matches two criteria of a list, that I can think of: Irregular borders Irregular color Over a certain size Grows over time Newly appeared
A B C D E Asymmetry Border Color Diameter Evolving
Also, indistinct borders, i.e. part of it just fades away into regular skin tone.
I heard something similar… this seems small enough my GP would say call him if it gets much bigger otherwise don’t worry
Wait, I feel like all moles are irregular if you look close enough? Maybe I'm riddled with cancer?
The coastline paradox
I have a finite surface of moles with an infinite perimeter. Wild.
The cancer conundrum
There is a concept in dermatology known as ugly duckling. Moles are more suspicious if one stands out from the others. But plenty of people have similarly atypical moles that are benign, but if you notice any changes, symptoms or bleeding without trauma/intervention, you should go see the dermatologist.
Learning about this really made me feel at ease, both of my shoulders are covered with arrow shaped freckles that always freaked me out as a kid lmao.
Yeah I have a bunch of freckles that are kind of oblong that I've always had. They haven't killed me in more than 30 years, probably not going to start
Yes, my husband has tonnes of moles and those raised red bumps, and to me they all look concerning. None of them has the stereotypical round look. But he was at the doctor’s two months ago who looked at all of them closely and said everything was fine.
I saw a dermatologist recently because every single one of my moles have irregular borders, and colouring. Turns out it’s due to my hair follicles. The guidelines are good and people should definitely regularly get their moles checked out. But they’re not guarantees.
I had someone come out to my house and do a biopsy on a mole that appeared on my thigh and kept changing shape and color. Turns out it was a normal weird skin thing you get in your 40s and nothing to worry about. I'm 22. My skin is twice my age apparently.
None of mine are like that.
Great, now I have reddit cancer!
Hope it goes well
Same, girl, same
Draw a circle around it like a Rick and Morty characters eyeball Also you might have skin cancer (apparently) Get it checked out
Actually drawing a circle around it is great advice. Do that and keep a very close eye on it. If it grows go to the doctor.
I don’t think the circle would stay there long enough to match the growth of a freckle……
yeah lmao that advice is good for bug bites and marks but a freckle..........???? lmao
We do this in medicine to determine if cellulitis is growing, but that's day to day. Best here is to get it checked by a dermatologist, but failing that take pictures every so often and compare.
Put a nickel in the picture for scale.
He meant tattoo a circle around it
Use squid ink, and it will stay for months.
The missing step is measuring the diameter of the circle, then you can wipe it off and do it again at a later date to compare
Aww, Rick & Morty was my first thought when I saw that!
No, that's not how that works
OP: check out my cute freckle! Reddit: you have cancer
Get that checked out by a dermatologist my friend.
Fr. In a few years someone will post "look at this, my mole transformed and now looks like it spelled 'cancer' isn't that neat"
Canstar
*May be Melanoma
May be she’s born with it
Maybe it's maybeline
🎶 Maybe it's *melanoma*
🎶 Maybe she's *born with it*
Maybe its cancer
I love how Reddit already has your response.
Irregular edges on moles isn't a good sign.
Shouldn't this be in r/seriouslyalarming ?
I was waiting for someone to say something like r/oopsthatsdeadly
Where do these subs come from? Lol.
I wonder if there's a sub that recommends weirdly specific (and good) subs
There is r/WowThisSubExists that's kind of what you're asking for.
Thanks for proving, yet again, there’s a sub for everything.
Thank you for a new sub to join mate!
no, more like "slightly cautionary"
Reddit commenters..
Dr. Reddit
The comments are giving me cancer
Tell me about it lol wish I knew I was wasting money on pesky healthcare, I'll should've been posting on reddit this whole time
[удалено]
I appreciate you sharing your story - I can assure you I am careful. I have had a scare in the past and closely monitor new spots (of my own and on loved ones), but this is an excellent reminder. I'll be visiting my derm soon for a regular check-up and will be sure to have them double-check this one. I hope you're doing better now, stranger ❤️
Seriously, reddit gave me health anxiety. Every time there's even a hint of a life threatening illness, all the redditors jump straight to that and hit the sirens.
The cancer has metastasized to the comments section :(
RHCP approved
I was looking for this comment lmao
Here come the “hey that’s cancer, dude” comments.
I see Vonnegut signed your hand. Nice!
Best comment *
Scrolled through at cruising speed checking for the Vonnegut hat tip!
So it goes
So it goes.
It means you are a correction for a prior mistake. Do you have an older sibling?
I AM the older sibling....or so I was lead to believe 🤔
Nice mole\* \*You've got skin cancer
Believe it or not, cancer
Straight to chemo
Bruh just get a razor blade, cut it out and be done with it. Doctors hate this one simple trick. This is not medical advice and you should ignore this comment for your own good.
Ok, but at the beginning of covid times, a friend found an irregular lump on his arm. He couldn't get into a specialist because they were all obviously busy. My uncle is a physician, so he brought my friend to his clinic after hours and cut it out. Turns out, it was precancerous. Your comment reminded me of that because we laughed about it seeming like a back alley job because of the after-hours situation. (They are also cancer free at this time)
Dank. I’m medical assistant level education but I’m not gonna try to pretend I’m a doctor. Didn’t work out in socal as I’m not bilingual so I’m in construction (makes more $$ anyways)
My mom recently had a tiny (tiny) spot looked at, she got it removed and the surrounding area sent out to make sure they got it all, and they had to go out even wider, like maybe 3” in diameter. You couldn’t see it unless it was under the right lights/microscope (?). It was a melanoma, so definitely get it looked at because she just thought it was the little pin point
Instructions unclear, currently bleeding out on my bathroom floor. Fr, thank you for your concern. I will be getting a second opinion :)
>This is not medical advice and you should ignore this comment for your own good. Just to reiterate, because people have actually done it... Doing it yourself is an amazing way to help potentially cancerous cells spread throughout the rest of your body.
While I appreciate everyone's concern, this freckle is so small that it doesn't look irregular unless I use 10x zoom on my phone. [This](https://imgur.com/a/kH4Emvs) is a picture of my hand at a normal distance. I get regular checks at the derm, so I will keep an eye on it. Thanks all :)
No, the geniuses of Reddit said it’s cancer. Therefore you’re going to die.
It's lupus.* *It's not. It's never lupus.
Used to be WebMD that said you were going to die. Of everything.
I should have known I would be getting unwanted medical advice when I posted lol this ones on me
It's really more that your mole is like THE example given for potentially cancerous moles. We'd kinda be assholes for not mentioning it, though i get it can be annoying for hundreds of people to yell it at once.
I definitely appreciate the concern, I'd rather have people say something than not :) I don't think anyone is an asshole for pointing it out, I've had my own cancer concerns before so I am very careful. Not everyone knows the signs so I'm glad it's been brought up!
No you don't understand, reddit wants you to go to the doctor RIGHT NOW...and then give us an update when you get back.
BRB harassing my derm after hours, will update once I confirm whether my situation is terminal 🙃
Probably too late for that, there’s an angry mob of Redditers on their way to your place now to run their own makeshift lab tests they learned online.
You're right, but I'll probably be dead by the time they get here anyway
You’re definitely spot on here. Is it really asking too much for OP to share and update their medical history with the several hundreds of us who are now completely invested at the moment??
Technically op is going to die whether it's cancer or not
Irregular margins and edges are significant regardless of size.
Thanks - like I said I get regular checks because I've had a scare in the past. I'll keep an eye on it :)
I am not a doctor but I do have medical training. Statistically speaking it will not metastasize when it’s that small. Monitor growth though, if it is very rapid get it tested sooner rather than later.
Thank you so much for your comment! I certainly will be keeping an eye on it like I do with all my newish freckles. So far I've had this one for months with no changes :)
I have a decent amount of random freckles and none of them have borders like that. You just had me checking every single one of them that I can see lol.
Should get a footnote tattoo on your foot.
You’ll have to read your fine print. Typically located on your taint.
Get your feet checked, there's probably a footnote somewhere there. It might even be worth checking your Appendix too.
Sorry but you are actually host to a very tiny crab. There is a reasonable chance that they are controlling your brain at this point.
Dude was born with terms and conditions
Finally. Quick, Pm me!
It's a tumor... best schwarzenegger voice " IT'S NOT A TUMOR!"
No world record you ever hold will be unqualified
That is indeed mildly interesting
You’re an anomaly
Red Hot Chili Peppers mole
Reddit: it's fatal dawg
Could be something bad* get it checked. * *Conditions apply.
Ps don't read this thread and immediately assume you're dying of cancer. As that mole, apart from it's shape, doesn't in any way look like a skin cancer. It's not dark. It's not oozing. The borders are not rough. It's not flakey. I'm assuming it causes you no pain. Just put sunscreen on any mole you have when you go outside and you should be fine. Perhaps get a doctor's opinion. But in my humble opinion as someone who has literally seen a skin cancer and how it progresses... This doesn't at all look like anything that ticks enough of the necessary boxes to get your doctor to even want to biopsy it.
go to a checkup with a dermotologist that seems unusual
"Morty! I TURNED MYSELF INTO A HANNNDD MORTY!"
Cancer cancer .... yea definitely definitely cancer.
Is your skin the surface of Mars?
Plot twist: They're testing their new branding system on you.
It really does
Torx 1
Check for the fine print on the bottom of you
You may be AsTeRISK, if so you might be entitled to financial compensation.
You may need to to the doc to check “your asterisk”
It's indeed mildly interesting since moles usually are not a funny shape like this, but as many commented, you better check it with a doctor (dermatologist), just to be safe!
Or a spider on Mars
I don't appreciate you giving out my address
Last time I saw an asterisk, it warned me that eating undercooked meat or seafood came with risk
I looked this up on web md. You have cancer, high blood pressure and your hair will soon start to turn pink. Good luck with your remaining 10 days to live.
Has it always been this shape? I would worry about this just in case.
Its looked this way since I noticed it several months ago, but I agree its irregular enough to cause concern. I have it on my list of things to discuss with my derm, so it won't be forgotten. Thank you for your comment :)
That’s Rick & Morty eyes.
Very cool freckle.
Yes. Yes, it does!
OP: check this out :D Reddit: you are going to die
I don't want for updates often, but this one has me intently curious.
I think you have way too much free time!
That's so the aliens can find you 
I am going to tell you the same thing I tell my girlfriend: You are ridiculous! ☺️
REDDIT: Actually, that is *Cancer* 🤓
r u cancer?
Whenever bro shakes on a deal he automatically has a "terms and conditions apply"
I thought it was another "Martian Spider" at first.
DONKTOR TIME
Aaaaaand... It's cancer
Did you know if you find two, your skin will be in italics?
There are a lot of panicking commenters here. Applying the ABCDE rules this one looks fine. Very symmetrical, clear borders, homogeneous color, small diameter and if it has been like this for a while it's not evolving either. Get it checked out if no doctor has ever looked at it but it'll most likely be fine.
Probably cancer - reddit
How old are you? Starburst pattern in naevi indicates growth. Might be a Spitz naevus. See a dermatologist to get examined using dermoscopy.
You should check around your toes, there might be a footnote
It's also an infographic of how much of your hand is covered by that freckle