Skin republic

Dear Dr. Jen,

There is a white dot growing on the mole on my face.  I’ve had the mole since I was a child.  It is located where my eye glasses land on it. I am worried of skin cancer.  I read that changing moles are prone to cancer. Should I have it taken out?  How long will it heal and will there be a scar?

Cree

Dear Cree,

The thing about changing moles is that skin cancer inevitably comes to mind.  The changes we expect in cancerous moles are evolution in the color, shape and size of the mole. Moles that have different gradients of brown or black, expanding borders and enlarging diameters are things we worry about.  If the appearance is deemed suspicious according to your PDS dermatologist, then it may be prudent to do a biopsy.

A biopsy on the mole will rule out any malignant changes that may be occurring. Biopsies are quick, painless and rarely cause scars.  Depending on the result, it can be determined whether or not it should be removed.

Healing of a mole excision on the face is speedy.  The sutures are usually taken out in less than 10 days. It may temporarily scar and may take as long as six to 12 months to heal so it will no longer be visible on the skin.  There are many options to hasten healing and ensure good scar appearance if you choose to have it excised.

***

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have been getting IV glutathione for a few months now but have not seen any results with the lightening of my skin.  Where can I get good glutathione and what is the dosing schedule that I should follow?

Janice

Dear Janice,

There are numerous salons and “clinics” offering IV glutathione on their service menu.  Many Filipinos tend to treat these infusions as a quickie treatment and even get it as often on a monthly basis or more frequently than that. This is an ethical issue as no guidelines have ever been officially issued for glutathione or antioxidant (Vitamin C, or placenta) infusions.

To be clear on this, FDA has not approved the infusion of glutathione for skin whitening. Scientific evidence reports not only drug reactions but also side effects on the kidney and thyroid organs.

I do not advocate any quickie IV infusions and anything else that is not FDA-approved.  I would rather you wait for more studies to be made and see the results, rather than be the guinea pig on this.  I hope this helps.