Should You Tell a Stranger Her Mole May be Suspicious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I’ve had multiple doctors tell me to have different moles checked out and when I’ve gone to a dermatologist they have basically rolled their eyes and were not concerned. One of those I had removed for aesthetics and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know, but I will say that I have a friend whose skin cancer was identified by someone saying something to them. That said, the person was like a hairdresser or someone who was doing work on them, not a peer or stranger. So there was some training involved. If you are comfortable with the teacher you might ask their advice: "there is someone else in the class who I don't know who has what appears to be a suspicious mole. Do you have any thoughts about what to do in this case?"

FWIW also, lots of moles can be ugly or raised but are not cancer.

I've heard of hairdressers finding these too.

I would say - the worst thing that happens if you tell them is its awkward and weird. Best case, it may save their life. That's worth it to me. I'm a strawberry blonde and I'd be grateful if someone told me I had one to be concerned about!

[Anonymous]

Mind your own business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In core class today, a woman who looked to be in her late 50s had a somewhat raised, very dark brown-blackish mole the diameter of a pencil eraser on her back.

I'm not a dermatologist and don't profess to have any medical knowledge about skin cancer. I'm a redhead who's had 2 uncles with melanoma (one died, one didn't). I get yearly skin checks and have had lots of questionable moles removed.

Would you have said anything?

The bolded is your answer. You are not qualified to make any statements whatsoever. Stay out of it.

It’s amazing that you would alarm someone like this, without having any professional qualifications or knowledge. And having 2 uncles with melanoma, does not qualify you to diagnose strangers.

[Anonymous]

NO. This woman deserves to be able to go to her exercise class in peace without some stranger who has ZERO medical knowledge pointing out a mole to her. That's so rude.

If you were a dermatologist, or actually friends with her, my response might be different. But I also think if you were a dermatologist or actually friends with her, you would be less likely to want to do this because you'd know better. I think you are fixating on this woman's body in part because she *is* a stranger to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Not pp, but also have lots of these. Why should I undergo the time, expense, and pain of a medical procedure to remove them, when they don’t bother me?

They are numerous, the dermatologist said I could remove them if the way they look bothers me. It doesn’t.

[Anonymous]

OP, what you describe does not have the hallmarks of a cancerous mole. The shade of a mole is not a sing of cancer -- some people are prone to darker moles than others, it has to do with other factors, not cancer. Also a mole being larger or raised, on its own, is not a sign of cancer. Some people are born with large and/or raised moles and they are totally benign.

The two biggest signs of cancer in moles are asymmetry and shifting borders. Asymmetry does not refer to the shape of the mole but more general opinion. A mole that is dark and rounded on one side but lighter and more amorphous on the other side is a sign you should get it checked out, for instance. And if the mole changes over time, scabs or bleeds, appears to get thicker, those are also negative signs.

It's actually pretty rare that someone will be able to tell these things in passing on a stranger, especially if you have no medical training. If it's just a dark and raised mole, that on its own means nothing except that it's more noticeable to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Not pp, but also have lots of these. Why should I undergo the time, expense, and pain of a medical procedure to remove them, when they don’t bother me?

They are numerous, the dermatologist said I could remove them if the way they look bothers me. It doesn’t.

This. This is like asking "why don't women with A cups all get boob jobs?" or "why don't people with light eyebrows all get tattooed eyebrows?" The answer is: because they don't want to and those are things people should do for themselves and not because some rando on the internet or in their core class decided they'd look better that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In core class today, a woman who looked to be in her late 50s had a somewhat raised, very dark brown-blackish mole the diameter of a pencil eraser on her back.

I'm not a dermatologist and don't profess to have any medical knowledge about skin cancer. I'm a redhead who's had 2 uncles with melanoma (one died, one didn't). I get yearly skin checks and have had lots of questionable moles removed.

Would you have said anything?

No. This could be me…I have a few of these and have had more removed. Nothing wrong with them other than that they are unsightly. I hate them and would be so embarrassed if someone pointed them out.

[Anonymous]

No, I wouldn’t say anything.

Yes, the first thing I thought of was the Austin Powers thing.

[Anonymous]

I recall this story about an Australian Olympic swimmer being alerted by a viewer

https://www.wcpo.com/news/national/tv-viewer-may-have-saved-gold-medalists-life

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In core class today, a woman who looked to be in her late 50s had a somewhat raised, very dark brown-blackish mole the diameter of a pencil eraser on her back.

I'm not a dermatologist and don't profess to have any medical knowledge about skin cancer. I'm a redhead who's had 2 uncles with melanoma (one died, one didn't). I get yearly skin checks and have had lots of questionable moles removed.

Would you have said anything?

"Yo! That mole looks sus!" really loud and point.
Just tell her. Not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Not pp, but also have lots of these. Why should I undergo the time, expense, and pain of a medical procedure to remove them, when they don’t bother me?

They are numerous, the dermatologist said I could remove them if the way they look bothers me. It doesn’t.

This. This is like asking "why don't women with A cups all get boob jobs?" or "why don't people with light eyebrows all get tattooed eyebrows?" The answer is: because they don't want to and those are things people should do for themselves and not because some rando on the internet or in their core class decided they'd look better that way.

Not even close. Someone with a mole on their back who maybe does not see a dermatologist might not be aware it's even there. I, for one, would appreciate someone telling me -- even if it was something I was aware of. I would never think to compare alerting someone about suspicious mole to recommending someone get a boob job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Not pp, but also have lots of these. Why should I undergo the time, expense, and pain of a medical procedure to remove them, when they don’t bother me?

They are numerous, the dermatologist said I could remove them if the way they look bothers me. It doesn’t.

This. This is like asking "why don't women with A cups all get boob jobs?" or "why don't people with light eyebrows all get tattooed eyebrows?" The answer is: because they don't want to and those are things people should do for themselves and not because some rando on the internet or in their core class decided they'd look better that way.

Not even close. Someone with a mole on their back who maybe does not see a dermatologist might not be aware it's even there. I, for one, would appreciate someone telling me -- even if it was something I was aware of. I would never think to compare alerting someone about suspicious mole to recommending someone get a boob job.

Really? Do you really believe a woman would not be aware of a mole the size of a pencil eraser on her back? Are you that oblivious of your own body, that you would miss something like this?

[Anonymous]

I have a lot of moles (several matching this description) and I get checked every year. People have told me that they were worried about one of mine and assure them that they are OK. None of the ones that people have mentioned have been biopsied by my derm, so I'd just let it go. I've always read the warning signs were ABCD, asymmetrical, border (vague is bad), color (change is bad but I'm not sure on that one) and diameter (over a certain size).