Should You Tell a Stranger Her Mole May be Suspicious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you sound like a busybody.

You haven't had deadly skin cancer touch your life. If you think it's suspicious, try to think of an honest segway. If a loved one had skin cancer just explain you are hypervigilant and you don't want to offend, but just suggest she get it checked out if she hasn't already. You could admit you don't want to offend and you hope you are wrong and she thinks you are crazy, but.... Melanoma is an absolute nightmare if not caught early enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dermatologist said he has told someone (not a patient) to have a spot checked out.

I assume his degree wasn't conferred by DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Moles aren't dangerous. Moles that change are dangerous.

[Anonymous]

No, if you were a doctor, yes.

[Anonymous]

It could be a Seborrheic Keratosis growth which is non cancerous.

[Anonymous]

You can't see what's on your back very well let alone if it changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be a Seborrheic Keratosis growth which is non cancerous.

I have a lot of these and I would be pretty annoyed if a stranger pointed them out and said I needed to get them checked out.

[Anonymous]

If a random stranger with no credentials said it to me, I would smile, say thank you, promptly ignore, and think it was inappropriate. If a random stranger doctor or nurse said it, I would deeply appreciate it and promptly get it checked out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It could be a Seborrheic Keratosis growth which is non cancerous.

I have a lot of these and I would be pretty annoyed if a stranger pointed them out and said I needed to get them checked out.

Why don’t you get them removed?

[Anonymous]

If you have training, knowledge, or experience as a medical professional, then yes. I include doctors, PAs, NPs, nurses, and even medical students in this category. Otherwise no.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not, I would be mortified if I were this woman. Don't comment on people's bodies in public

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. You don’t know anything about this woman and you don’t have any professional knowledge of moles. MYOB
In my experience with dermatologists, they shrug off as normal moles that I think look concerning. But they have biopsied several spots that I barely noticed. Which is why I leave medical advice to the experts.

[Anonymous]

I would apologize first, and then ask her to get it checked out. Oh, and if they asked I would also give them a fake name and fake credentials.

[Anonymous]

I would appreciate being told and would go have it checked out. If it turned out to be nothing, no harm no foul. Better that than dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would appreciate being told and would go have it checked out. If it turned out to be nothing, no harm no foul. Better that than dead.

Same. I had an older in law say something to me like that and it was a relative who's generally pretty critical and we don't have the best relationship. It turned out to be nothing but I was actually shocked to feel like maybe they actually cared.