Mole Removals Are A Big Deal

A community member shares their experience with a mole removal, as told to a member of the SkinCancer.net community team.

I went to the dermatologist for my yearly check, a couple of years overdue. I didn’t think that anything would come of it. I’m young, healthy, and my skin isn’t too light. I do spend time in the sun, and up until a couple of years ago, I was never careful about sun protection. At my appointment, they indicated that a mole on my back was darker than the rest of my moles and that they were going to remove it to be tested. They told me that they’ll call if it comes back positive, but otherwise, I was good to go. I didn’t expect to receive a call. When they did call, I was so taken aback that I barely grasped what they were saying, and I didn’t ask any questions about the procedure. I still told myself that this was no big deal.

Procedure day

I showed up the day of the appointment thinking it would be an easy, quick procedure. I had never had stiches before, but I assumed I’d have only a couple and that I’d be good to go by the next day. They had told me that I couldn’t exercise for two weeks, but I still didn’t think it would be a big deal. I went into it thinking that I know my body and that I’d be fine after a couple of days. I was so wrong.

The surgeon came in and explained to me that my mole was considered severe, one step before melanoma. He told me that they’d have to remove one centimeter all the way around the mole and that they were going to go fairly deep. The actual procedure wasn’t so bad. The numbing process was the worst part. I do not do well with blood or anything like that, so I didn’t look at anything during the procedure and kept myself distracted.

I left the appointment with over 20 stitches, which was a total shock to me. The rest of that day wasn’t so bad as I was still numb from the procedure. It was later that night that it started to go downhill. While walking with my boyfriend, I touched my back and had blood on my finger. This totally freaked me out, but he assured me that he’d patch it all back up and that it wasn’t so bad. That night, it was painful to sleep, and I was still freaked out by the blood.

Pain, blood, and fainting on the bathroom floor

I woke up the next morning and asked my boyfriend to take off my bandage so that I could shower and have him change it. As mentioned previously, I do not do well with blood or wounds. Before stepping into the shower, I glanced in the mirror to check out my stitches. Suddenly, I’m flat on the ground, confused, and being woken up. I had never fainted before this.

This was really scary, and all the result of a mole removal that I thought was no big deal. I took it easy for the next two weeks. I was in more pain than I expected to be, especially when sleeping. I did not exercise, and I never looked at my stitches again. To top it all off, this was a very expensive procedure between the office and the lab (another thing I was not expecting).

Long story short, yearly checkups are important. I am not invincible, and mole removals are a big deal. The price I paid (both literally and figuratively) are not worth a tan or the time in the sun.