posted
So I had this cute little mole on the top edge of my lip... very tiny. My husband even said it was cute--much like some movie stars.
Anyway, on Friday is started getting big..kind of like a pimple, but it wasn't that. And over the weekend, it'd get bigger and more tender. I had many "ow" moments. It started getting a LITTLE bit smaller on Monday, but since I already had a dermatologist appointment for other reasons, I decided to have it checked out.
The doctor couldn't say why it was doing that, but he could tell it was a mole. So we decided to take it off and have it biopsied. I also had the option of treating it to see if it would go down, but I didn't want to take the risk--and it really was sore! I wanted it gone. I didn't stop to consider that taking it off would entail cutting it off.. and it would be painful.
When I was younger, I had a little wart freeze dried off near the same place (sheesh, I'm gonna sound like a real freak at the end of this.). The doctor used that technique because I was terrified of needles. I told the doctor that, and he could see where it had been done--there was a very tiny wart left. Very tiny. Really.
So, here's what happened... he said I'd feel a sharp sting and it would last about 5 seconds and then I'd feel nothing. He put the novacain needle in and it hurt TERRIBLY. UGH! My lip is very sensitive ANYWAY... And those 5 seconds were an eternity.
Next, he did the freeze-drying thing with the tiny wart. After he did several blasts he says, just 7 more, and proceeds to count from 5 to 12. Each blast was a very cutting and sharp pain. I don't remember it hurting that much when I was a kid!! The novacain did NOTHING for that pain.
This part makes me really queasy.. I'm shifting in my chair just writing it... He takes what I imagine was a razor blade and told me to tell him if I felt anything. He started cutting the mole off, I guess, and asked me if I felt anything. I felt nothing. Not even a tug against my skin. He finished taking it off and began treating it with whatever it is they treat it with. The nurse put a bandaid on and told me to get some polysporin and gave me a paper on how to care for it.
I complained that it really hurt. They said it was the freeze-dried place and that by the time I got to my car it would feel better. I grabbed a tissue, and held it against my mouth as I walked out. Feeling bad.
By the time I got to my car, the novacain had started wearing off and the place that had just had all the skin shaved off hurt like HELL. I have no idea if the freeze-dried place hurt or not anymore. But anyway, the whole side of my lip was in intense pain. I called up my husband to whine (I figure I was entitled for a little whining indulgence.) and told him that mole he had commented on not long before saying he liked it was gone. He, of course, still loves me and doesn't find it to be a big deal, but with a combination of the pain and losing something like that, I started to cry as I was driving home. Such a blubbering idiot.
I went home, curled up with him, and waited for the pain to go away. It took a couple of hours, but it finally did.
Later that night, I finally got the courage to take off the bandaid, even though the nurse said I only had to keep it on for an hour. I had to take a hydrogen peroxide q-tip and roll it across the spot, supposedly to remove any crust (eeew... can't they just say scab??) Anyway, that wasn't very effective except to start it to hurting like heck again... hydrogen peroxide STINGS!! When the pain finally started to subside, I was still moaning because I was freaking out about having an unstitched wound. (He didn't stitch it to reduce scars or something.. it really isn't a big spot.. maybe 3 or 4 millimeters across.) And then I was freaking out because I got scared that the lip part of the wound would heal as skin... would my lip line be funky after this?! I LIKE my lips! Anyway, after some experimentation, I was able to get a bandaid to stay on my lip (it's hard to use polysporin and band-aid something like a curved lip.).
This morning, I had my husband put on the hydrogen peroxide because I was too chicken. It stung again. He doesn't think I should do that twice a day like the instructions said, since if I keep on removing a scab (which I'm not convinced is even happening) then it will never heal. I guess I should call the doctor and ask...but I would be happy never putting hydrogen peroxide on it again..since it stings so bad each time. I guess I should call the doctor...and also ask if I can leave a bandaid on or if that will slow healing.. Because I am just not stable enough to leave it to the open air. Airborne things getting into it (fuzzies.. germs... etc.) freak me out...and worse is the thought that I could look in the mirror and see it and get all icked out again. And I'm sure my coworkers would like to be spared as well.
Okay.. thanks for listening to me whine. Other people have REAL problems, and I complain about such a small thing.
posted
Please, please don't put anymore peroxide on it. It'll kill cells or something like that. Use a different antiseptic or neosporin or whatever. I'm sure the docs and nurses on the board will weigh in, so do whatever they say.
I've had moles removed as well, though none on my face. With me, they just used novocain+razor and the second one was a large-ish one that stuck out about the size of a pencil eraser.
Anyrate, they heal well and leave a scar that, as time passes, becomes barely noticeable as...it's not even a divot. More like, a spot of skin that's a micromillimeter or whatever lower than the skin surrounding it. My mother did once have a mole removed from her cheek and after it healed, you couldn't even tell.
....wait, the dermatologist TOLD you to use peroxide?! Mine didn't, just neosporin and bandaid, and yes, stop removing the scab. Goodness. o_O
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
yeah - I always heard that peroxide scars when used on skin. I'm surprised that was the orders as well. But maybe some of the other medicos can give more enlightenment.
Somehow, that whole initial post reminded me of "The Birthmark' by Hawthorne. In a weird way...
posted
Yes. I even have a paper on care for after a biopsy. I don't have it with me, but from memory, it says to use a q-tip soaked in hydrogen peroxide and roll it across the site to remove any crust. Then I'm to apply polysporin (NOT Neosporin--it says that specifically) to the site. It also says I can wash the area with mild soap and water. It says to do this twice a day. It doesn't say anything about whether or not a bandaid is okay. And it doesn't say (as far as I remember) exactly what part to do twice a day. It also says what it is normal to look like.
I'm not as worried about a scar on my regular skin... what I was worried about is that the part of the wound that is on my lip will heal as regular skin... know what I mean?? I have nicely lined and shaped lips... it's one of the few things I like about myself. I don't want an indentation in my lip. (I'm a worrier.)
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm gonna call the doctor with these questions...
Edit: Left a voicemail for the nurse to call me back. I'm such a spazz.. It'll all be okay! I know! Yeah... I'm so brave. heh.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, I never have people use peroxide on wounds. Impairs wound healing. Maybe once time, to clean it up a bit, but otherwise, no peroxide. Calling is a good idea.
I never heard that it could cause scarring, thought. But since I never use it, I suppose I might not know about scarring with it.
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I think a little indent on the lip adds character. I have a crooked eyebrow that I think does the same. =D
Posts: 1751 | Registered: Jun 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Best thing to clean wounds with is Normal Saline Solution (0.9% NaCl in Sterile Water). You probably don't have any, but "mild soap and water" is probably next best. Peroxide is not recommended. The scab will lead to more scarring -- you want to keep the wound bed moist (by covering it with a bandaid), so that tender new skin cells can grow and cover the wound.
Neosporin provokes more allergic reactions than polysporin does; that's probably why the doctor wants to avoid it.
posted
I'm a wimp too, I guess, because I had a large wart on my finger right by the nail, and when they tried to freeze it off, I just about passed out.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I just got to talk to the nurse. She explained to me that it is very important to continue to use the hydrogen peroxide. This will ensure that it heals from the inside out. Otherwise, it would scab over and the scar will be much more noticeable. She also told me I didn't need to worry about trying to rub off a scab--that the gentle rolling I do with a Q-tip is good enough. Then I have to put polysporin on it. I can wear a bandaid or not as is my preference.
She assured me that my body will make lip cells and skin cells where appropriate, and she told me it was a good question, not a stupid question.
I'm not happy about having to deal with the stinging, but it doesn't last that long, and if I can get my husband to do it for me, it's easier than having to look and do it myself.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
| IP: Logged |
My stomach is queasy in sympathy. I remember similar freaking-out when I had my wisdom teeth removed and things other than what the little sheet said would happen did. I'm glad you got this sorted out.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, peroxide drys things out, which is why people need to be careful with it on wounds. On something that small it wouldn't matter much, but on larger wounds it can actually impair healing because the ends dry up too much to seal up cleanly.
Near the mouth heals pretty fast, so that is less of a problem, and making sure it doesn't "crust" means keeping it a little dried out. The crust (scab) helps heal it faster, but also can cause scars.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I'm so brave. heh.
