During pregnancy, most women experience some kind of hyperpigmentation or skin pigmentation disorder. Melasma, especially common in pregnant women, creates a pregnancy “mask” which can resemble the Lone Ranger.
For me, I not only develop crazy skin tags, which tend to fall off or disappear postpartum, but I also notice more moles and darker freckles popping up on my skin. It’s all part of the drill.
According to my dermatologist, the sudden outcropping of cherry angiomas on my upper thighs is a typical reaction to pregnancy as well. These angiomas are tiny, dark red, and, unfortunately for me, persistent. They don’t go away after pregnancy.
Since I became pregnant, one red spot on my knee had grown and become raised, which is what led me to visit my dermatologist for a skin check. To my relief, he wasn’t worried about the raised red bump. He injected a numbing agent under the spot and removed it, preparing to send it off to a pathologist. The biopsy will ensure it wasn’t an errant Spitz nevus, which usually only occurs in younger people.
I stared at that growing spot during the past few months and even looked at the pictures from How to Spot Skin Cancer, thinking it could it be basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.
But the doctor feels certain, based on the enthusiasm with which cherry angiomas sprouted up on my body during this pregnancy, that it’s just a large cherry angioma and nothing to worry about. I was glad to have my concerns alleviated, and get that spot biopsied just in case.
Comments (6)
The best way to avoid skin cancer is to get plenty of sunlight each day. Those who are deficient in Vitamin D often get skin cancer. Just make sure that you are not using sunblock either, as it too contains carcinogens. You shouldn’t be outside for so long that you will get burnt. If you stay outside for just long enough to become slightly pink, that is all that you need.
http://NaturallyGoodMagazine.com/blog
As a board-certified dermatologist, I can tell you that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, whether from the sun or tanning beds, can cause skin cancer. Since significantly more than one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, it’s important for people to Be Sun SmartSM — wear protective clothing, seek shade where possible, and wear sunscreen, the safety of which is confirmed by the FDA. Appropriate amounts of vitamin D can be obtained through a healthy diet which includes naturally enriched vitamin D foods, fortified foods and beverages and/or vitamin supplements. Intentional exposure to UV radiation is not a safe or effective way to obtain vitamin D as it is a known risk factor for the development of skin cancer.
Evan Farmer, MD, FAAD, vice president, American Academy of Dermatology
Well, if the F.D.A. says it’s safe, then it is, right? Like Vioxx. That was a voluntary recall by the way, so Merck could put it back out if they wanted to.
“The FDA protects the big drug companies, and is subsequently rewarded, and using the government’s police powers, they attack those who threaten the big drug companies. People think that the FDA is protecting them. It isn’t. What the FDA is doing, and what the public thinks it is doing are as different as night and day.”
― Dr. Herbert Ley, Former Commissioner of the U.S. F.D.A.
The rates of skin cancer now are higher than they were in the past, and we are not getting any more sunlight than we were before. What does that tell you?
For what it’s worth, my dermatologist agrees with Dr. Farmer. We’re slathering up and staying in when we can — I’m not panicking about a little unprotected sun on me or my daughters — but keeping from overexposure seems to be the smart thing to do.
Oh, and I just heard back from my dermatologist regarding the spot on my knee — benign! Hooray.
i think you are very smart and you are 100% right your a very smart person we need more ppl like you in this world