Two Important Considerations Before Removing Moles Yourself

I certainly understand the desire to want to remove moles yourself. I had moles from head to toe my whole life and felt extremely self-conscious all the time. I was at a point where I wanted to cut them myself, so I could relate to anyone else who is researching how to remove moles yourself.

At the same time, I want to pass on a few words of "practical wisdom" to you if you are seriously considering ways to remove moles yourself so you don't screw things up and make things worse.

I am now in my 40s and did not seriously consider having any of my moles removed until I was thirty. Why? Because, I didn't even know I could before then.

I had heard of people having warts removed from their skin, but as for moles, I thought this was one of those things you lived with and tried to cover it up with makeup as best you could. After all, there were role models like Cindy Crawford, whom they looked up to for having a facial mole.

I just considered that some people were lucky because their moles were in places that enhanced their beauty (i.e. beauty marks). I was one of the unlucky ones who ended up with unsightly raised moles on my face and chest.

When I "woke up" and realized that there were ways to remove moles by yourself, with a variety of methods, I felt like a kid in a candy store and wanted to remove all the moles.

What I learned is that the path to removing moles on your own isn't entirely simple or effective if you choose the wrong methods or jump into it without some important considerations ...

1. Remove moles yourself, don't make things worse

When you remove moles yourself, you need to make sure that the mole is a candidate for self-expression and that the method you choose will not leave a permanent mark or scar.

How do you know if a mole is a candidate? You must determine if it is normal or cancerous. It cannot be known for sure if a mole is cancer unless a medical professional or dermatologist collects a sample from the mole and sends the cells to a laboratory for analysis. However, you can tell if a mole looks normal or abnormal.

You don't want to remove moles yourself if they look abnormal in any way because if there is a chance that the mole is cancerous, you could delay proper treatment and let the cancer spread.

This sounds like a scare tactic, but I want you to take it seriously. I had a cancerous mole removed and it is not something to tinker with or shrug off as a minor thing.

Here's a list of things to watch out for that your dermatologist should check before removing moles yourself.

Get your mole checked first if...

- Contains a mix of colors, such as tan, brown, black, red, or pink.

- Has ragged edges or doesn't look like a nice round or slightly oval dot.

- It has recently grown in size or is larger than a pencil eraser.

- It looks red and swollen, is bleeding, or does not seem to heal.

- It itches

Therefore, trying to remove cancerous moles is definitely one way to make things worse. Another way to make your situation worse is to leave a mark or scar after you remove the moles yourself.

Surgical mole removal gets a bad rap because it can leave a very prominent scar. I must know, I had a cancerous mole removed from my arm and now I have a large scar in its place.

But what if you remove the moles yourself? Is there still concern about scars?

Home remedies use mild ingredients, most of which are slightly acidic in nature. These natural remedies tend to fade moles over time, which works in your favor and reduces the risk of scarring.

However, you will need to be patient with natural remedies used to remove moles yourself. If you become too aggressive when you remove moles yourself, it can cause an unintentional abrasion or burn and this can heal or leave a long-lasting dark mark on your skin.

2. Remove moles yourself: After care

Once you get rid of the mole, your work is not completely done. The skin under the mole is new and needs protection. Your worst enemy before, during and after you remove your moles is the sun.

A mole on your face or body can become enlarged or abnormal when exposed to excessive sunlight or artificial sun. Therefore, you should take some precautions after removing moles yourself so as not to make things worse.

First, cover the newly removed mole with a high SPF sunscreen (50 is best) when you are outside. This is not only on sunny days, but also on cloudy or winter days. If you are removing a mole in the winter, be aware that snow can strongly reflect sunlight, making it as much of a problem as the summer sun.

You can also cover a recently removed mole with a plaster. I realize this can be a problem with a facial mole, but its long-term results will be worth it. With facial moles, a hat or visor can add protection from the sun during the initial healing phase.

What about tanning booths? Tanning booths are sometimes considered a safe alternative to natural sun. It is true that the natural sun emits ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, which are not found in tanning booths. However, artificial tanning booths will produce ultraviolet A (UVA) rays, which may take longer to cause skin damage, but they do.

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Filiform Warts - What Are the Characteristics of These Types of Warts?

Filiform warts are long and narrow rapid growing tumors of the outer skin layer. These tumors are however non-cancerous and so pose no real danger. Filiform warts are usually finger-like shaped and project themselves from the skin. They can more easily be found in certain areas such as on the:

• Face
• Eyelid
• Nose
• Lips
• Chin
• Neck

They are more common in elder children than any other age group. They may sometimes itch or even bleed when they become irritated. This usually happens when they are intentionally scratched or when they are accidentally rubbed against clothing.

In certain areas where they may be easily hit, they may create some discomforts and be a problem.

A filiform wart is caused by a viral infection. This viral infection is caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV for brevity.

A filiform wart is contagious. It may be transmitted:

• From an area to another area of the same body
• Directly From an individual to an individual
• Indirectly from an individual to another individual

Transmission form an area to another area of the same body can occur when the individual scratches the filfiorm wart and touches other parts of the body. This may transmit the HPV, resulting in another growth in other areas.

Direct contact with another individual may result is transmission of the virus. This occurs when another wart of another individual is touched. This many easily happen in children when they are playing team games such as football or basketball.

Touching an object touched by another person can also result in contamination. This may happen when individuals use the same towel to dry their faces. The HPV may be transferred from the face of another individual to another resulting in a filiform wart.

Filiform warts generally go away by themselves after several months or a few years.

However since they more generally occur on visible areas of the individual, they may create some discomforts relating to the aesthetic aspect. In view of this one may consider treatment.

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Flat Warts Treatment - What Are the 3 Main Categories of Removal Methods

There are basically three flat wart removal categories that may help you remove your flat warts:

• Over the counter wart removal medicine
• Surgical flat warts treatment and professional help
• Alternative and home treatments for warts

There are various types of over the counter wart removal medicine that can help you to treat your flat warts. These came in many forms such as lotions, creams. patches and drugs. Some of these medications may be quite acidic and may also destroy your healthy skin.

Treating flat warts by over the counter medications may take several weeks or months. This may also involve a lot of commitment from your own part.

You may also consider professional help. For many individuals this usually happens after repeated setbacks using over the counter wart removal treatments.

Your physician may prescribe powerful drugs that can help you to cure your flat warts.

You may also consider surgery as a flat wart removal method. There are basically 3 types of surgery that can be used:

Cryosurgery - This involves the use of an instrument to freeze your flat warts. Cryosurgery is used to treat many other types of warts as well.

This flat warts treatment is even being used in the treatments of some cancers.

Electrosurgery - This involves the use of heat that is produced from an electric current to kill your warts.

Laser therapy - This involves the use of a laser to kill your warts.

For the above types of surgical flat wart removal methods you may be given numbing agents. You may have some discomforts both during and after the treatment. This will depend on various factors.

Not all the types of treatment mentioned above is adequate to treat you flat warts. You should discuss your situation with your physician.

Alternative and home treatments for warts may also be used. These methods have been used for many years. These may include the use of vinegar, garlic and other ingredients. Some of these methods are an effective flats wart cure.

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Foot Wart Treatment - 6 Foot Wart Removal Procedures

Foot warts can be treated by various foot wart removal procedures such as:

- Cryosurgery
- Laser therapy
- Electrosurgery
- Salicylic acid
- Duct tape
- Home treatment for warts

Cryosurgery - This is a foot wart treatment that kills warts by means of very low temperatures. Your growth is touched by an instrument and this freezes and kills it.

Electrosurgery - This type of foot wart removal method uses electricity to burn your growth. It is touched by a needle heated by an electric current and this kills the wart's cells.

Laser therapy is a type of foot wart treatment that uses a high-energy beam of light in order to burn your growth.

Cryosurgery, Elecrosurgery and laser therapy need to be done by a professional physician. Anesthesia may also be administered. These methods may cause scaring.

Salicylic acid - This over the counter wart removal medication has been widely used in the treatment of many type of growths. Salicylic acid irritates the growth so that the immune system gets rid of the outer layer of the skin and so of the wart itself.

Salicylic acid needs to be administered for many weeks or months for some result. It may also irritate or scare your healthy skin. Further more read the instructions carefully before using this over the counter removal medication or better still consult your physician.

Duct tape - This removal method uses a duct tape and a pumice stone to irritate your growth and so the immune system will hopefully get rid of your growth. Irritation and scarring may also occur.

Home treatment for warts - These involve various types of foot wart treatment involving ready available ingredients such as vinegar, garlic and many other ingredients.

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Different Types of Warts - What is a Foot Wart

Foot warts are a type of warts that can be found at the bottom of the foot. A foot wart is about 1cm in diameter and is generally paler than the nearby skin. It has tiny black dots at the centre.

Foot warts have the tendency to group together into clusters. Because it is at the bottom of the foot, this type of wart is generally quite flat.

Sometimes it may cause pain because of the constant pressure exerted on them when walking. Further more, because of this constant pressure, it has the tendency to grow back inside the foot.

A foot wart is also known by the name of plantar wart. The medical name for this type of wart is 'verruca plantaris' or just 'verruca'.

The human papilloma virus or HPV causes foot warts. This virus is responsible also for other type of warts. The human papilloma virus can enter your skin from little cuts or scratches.

Unfortunately this virus is also contagious and so you may get foot warts from getting this virus from another individual. Objects that are touched by another individual that carries this virus may also be contagious.

The human papilloma virus dwells in wet and warm habitats. So bathrooms and swimming pool areas are excellent habitats for this virus. It is a good idea to take appropriate caution and as far as you can you may not walk bare footed in these areas.

Further more if you have this type of warts do not scratch it and then touch other parts of your body. Pay particular attention not to scratch it with your other foot since this may also increase the chance of getting a foot wart on your other foot as well.

There are many types of foot warts treatments that can help you to treat this type of wart. They include over the counter wart removal treatments, surgical wart removal treatment and home treatments for warts.

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What is a Skin Tag?

A skin tag is a harmless tumor that looks like a piece of hanging skin. It is usually narrow where it connects to the skin and then grows to a larger ball or oval. The medical name for a skin tag is "acrochordons".

Skin tags range in size from absolutely miniscule to roughly the size of an eraser. Their color is usually the same as the skin but occasionally they may vary a bit. Although they are small tumors they are not malignant and usually are not indicative any other type of problems.

These annoying extensions of the skin can be unsightly. They are usually very soft and often painful if twisted or irritated. Middle aged people are more susceptible to skin tags and they are much more common in women than in men. However these growths are very common in so much that approximately half of the population have them in some parts of their body.

They tend to form in areas where there is a lot heat, friction and moistness. These areas are usually when the skin rubs against the skin or the skin rubs against clothing.

They most commonly occur:

• On the neck
• On the eyelids
• Under the armpits
• Under the breasts

However they can occur in a variety of other places.

Many individuals may have tried someday to remove their skin tags buy just scratching them or by trying to pull them off by their fingers. This however will only irritate the skin tag. Sometimes a skin tag after being irritated may also bleed. They may also be irritated by clothing or jewelry. This may cause some discomforts.

There are many ways that can help you getting rid of skin tags:

• Extraction - The skin tags are cut off or removed by surgical scissors of a scalpel.
• Suture - This involves tying a surgical suture around the base of the skin tag in order to cut the blood supply.
• Electro-cauterization - This uses an electrified instrument to burn the skin tags
• Laser Surgery - A laser is used to destroy the skin tag.
• Cryosurgery - Very low temperatures are used to freeze and kill the skin tags.

The above 5 methods are surgical procedures and should be performed by a qualified physician. Each method has it advantages and disadvantages and the procedures may be painful, so it is important to talk with your physician about what the procedures entail.

You can also get rid of skin tags by home treatments. These methods use simple ingredients that can be easily found at home. Some home treatments have been used for many years and have shown fast results with no discomforts.

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What is a Wart?

A wart is a small and rough tumor that grows on your skin, more commonly on your hands and feet. It can however grow on other parts of your body. Warts are very common and generally they are non-cancerous.

A wart usually resembles a cauliflower or a blister. It's color is different from the color of the nearby skin. In fact it is usually darker or lighter than the nearby skin. Although they are usually painless, sometimes because of their location, they may itch or burn.

Most of the different types of warts that exist are caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus or HPV. The human papilloma virus is contagious and so you can get it from another person.

There are mainly 4 different types of warts:

• Plantar
• Flat
• Genital
• Common

Plantar warts are also referred to as foot warts and are typically found on the bottom of the foot. They are usually very flat because of the pressure caused by walking. However the constant pressure forces this type to grow back inside the foot!

Flat warts are smoother and much smaller than the other types of warts. They are light in color and tend to be subtle variations from the skin pigmentation. They typically occur on the arms, knees, and hands.

Genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease. They can be anywhere in the genital area including the anus, penis or vagina, inside of the rectum and inside the reproductive organs. This type of warts is considered to be the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Common Warts are often found on or around the hands, especially in areas where the skin has been broken by ripped hangnails or broken nails.

The different types of warts can be removed by various warts treatments such as:

• Electrosurgery
• Laser therapy
• Cryosurgery
• Over the Counter medications and Home Treatments

In Electrosurgery an electric current is used to burn them. In Laser therapy a concentrated beam of light is used to destroy them. Cryosurgery uses very low temperatures to freeze them.

Electrosurgery, laser therapy and cryosurgery are a type of surgery. These treatments often require an anesthesia and you may have to attend for more than one session to treat your warts. You will also have some discomforts after the treatment.

Not all the above mentioned treatments may be adequate for all the different types of warts.

Over the counter medications and home treatments are also very commonly used. These methods do not require anesthesia and can cure various type of warts. Some of these treatments produce excellent results.