Re: Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon

NicksmomESQ · ‎08-19-2014

@Violet Fields When my son was 3 he developed a weird mole on his face. The dermatologist referred us to a plastic surgeon.He did an excellent job removing it. He then sent the mole to be tested. Thankfully, it was benign.

The scar healed beautifully & you can hardly tell there was an unsightly mole there.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

Will they both do additional cancer testing after it’s removed?

Sending the sample to the labs?

Violet Fields · ‎03-10-2010

@sidsmom wrote:
Will they both do additional cancer testing after it’s removed?
Sending the sample to the labs?

Yes, they both send the sample to labs, but to different labs as far as I know.

lulu1 · ‎03-29-2011

When my dermatologist feels there will be a lot of scarring involved, she refers me to another dermatologist who is also certified in plastic surgery.

Tell your dermatologist you are concerned with scarring and wonder if you'd be better off with a plastic surgeon.

Violet Fields · ‎03-10-2010

Ok, thanks Lulu, I'll ask if he thinks I need a plastic surgeon. I'm sure he's not certified in plastic surgery. That would be nice!

Violet Fields · ‎03-10-2010

Update:

I saw the derm this week and he said since the spot had grown he wanted to remove it. He thinks it's a dysplastic mole but said it would be a noticeable pale area where he'd remove it and that a plastic surgeon might be a better option. So I'll probably go with a plastic surgeon since my derm would probably make a big depression in my skin

tsavorite · ‎03-09-2010

@lulu1 wrote:
When my dermatologist feels there will be a lot of scarring involved, she refers me to another dermatologist who is also certified in plastic surgery.

Tell your dermatologist you are concerned with scarring and wonder if you'd be better off with a plastic surgeon.

How do you find a dermatologist that is also certified in plastic surgery??

My husband 10days ago had what turned out to be a pre-melanoma Hutchinson mole...derm is listed as cosmetic derm plus Moh's surgeon. Well this mole was on the side of my husband's face and when he came home the area they removed was big! We measured it with ruler....2 1/8inches. He used internal stitches plus staple stiches...looks like Frankenstein! I hope it heals well as he is now kinda upset about the scar and they do go rather deep too. I believe it's a 2mm margin area all the way around. I watched some videos on youtube. I just can't believe they used staples in your face!

I'd rather see a derm that can be good at both the removal and the cosmetic issues too.

He goes back for the staples to come out....only time will tell how it will look in future.

Violet Fields · ‎03-10-2010

@tsavorite Sorry to hear that! They should've told your husband the area they were going to remove was that big. I hope that heals well for him!!

lulu1 · ‎03-29-2011

@tsavorite wrote:
@lulu1 wrote:
When my dermatologist feels there will be a lot of scarring involved, she refers me to another dermatologist who is also certified in plastic surgery.

Tell your dermatologist you are concerned with scarring and wonder if you'd be better off with a plastic surgeon.
How do you find a dermatologist that is also certified in plastic surgery??

My husband 10days ago had what turned out to be a pre-melanoma Hutchinson mole...derm is listed as cosmetic derm plus Moh's surgeon. Well this mole was on the side of my husband's face and when he came home the area they removed was big! We measured it with ruler....2 1/8inches. He used internal stitches plus staple stiches...looks like Frankenstein! I hope it heals well as he is now kinda upset about the scar and they do go rather deep too. I believe it's a 2mm margin area all the way around. I watched some videos on youtube. I just can't believe they used staples in your face!

I'd rather see a derm that can be good at both the removal and the cosmetic issues too.

He goes back for the staples to come out....only time will tell how it will look in future.

@tsavorite

My dermatologist referred me to a dermatologist who was certified in plastic surgery. (I had a choice of 2 different practices that she's referred patients to. She said both were excellent and her patients chose the one closer to their home)

Hopefully your husband will heal. I had a neighbor who initially looked a bit butchered. (his skin cancer was deep and in order to get clear margins, the doctor scraped 3 times) After he was completely healed, he was referred to a plastic surgeon.

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

@Violet Fields wrote:
Update:

I saw the derm this week and he said since the spot had grown he wanted to remove it. He thinks it's a dysplastic mole but said it would be a noticeable pale area where he'd remove it and that a plastic surgeon might be a better option. So I'll probably go with a plastic surgeon since my derm would probably make a big depression in my skin

Thanks for the updated. It's always good to ask our doctors these questions. Now you know that a plastic surgeon is the best choice for you.