Do You Need to See a Dermatologist for Skin Growths?

Posted on September 29, 2009
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skin care tips

I’m a pretty active person, and I don’t usually spend too much time worrying about how I look or what my skin is up to. However, the skin is the largest organ on the body, and I know that it is in my best interests to do all that I can to maintain healthy skin so that I am not surprised by potentially risky complications later in life. Although everyone’s skin is different, I’m often concerned that I don’t pay enough attention to my skin and the changes that may indicate that something is wrong. Everyone’s skin is covered with unique bumps and marks, but drastic changes in these common markings and growths are an indication that your skin is in need of some attention.

I’m not one to get all worked up over a colored bump or rough patch on my skin, but while watching a video on DermTV the other day, I started to realize that noticing changes on these growths and knowing when to report them to a skin doctor, could be the difference between a small problem and a big one. The important thing to know is what kinds of changes are serious and what kinds aren’t and also how quickly you should report these changes to your doctor.

Because DermTV is hosted by a board certified dermatologist that’s been practicing in New York City for over 30 years, I’m confident that the advice he gave in the video was sound. He advised that you should take notice if skin growths or an area of your skin changes colors, increases or decreases in size or becomes painful. What I liked a lot was that this doctor didn’t advice to run right out and secure the services of an expensive dermatologist for every little mole or dry spot.

The advice from this doctor was that the best thing to do was to wait about two weeks from the point that you noticed the change, to see if the growth or area of skin would return to the way that you are normally used to seeing it. Most of the time, areas of the skin simply become irritated for one reason or another and these irritations usually go away over time. If you notice that the skin change is not returning to normal after about two weeks, or if the condition drastically worsens during that time, you should consult your dermatologist immediately, just to rule out any serious problems.

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