the Price of Skin Treatments

I hate to admit it but I have a lot of those floppy things that dangle off your skin. The doctor calls them "skin tags" and I just think they are so gross and they make me very self-conscious when I wear clothing that enables anyone to see them. I had one particular one that was right near my armpit and you could see it, to me, anytime I raised my arm. My doctor said it was no big deal to remove it and any others I wanted removed. On this day, I had a total of five moles removed from my underarms and back. There was no anesthesia or anything. She put on a topical numbing solution of some kind and used surgical scissors to remove each one. She then cleaned the area with alcohol pads and placed simple bandages over the "cuts."

I love my family doctor. She was really gentle with me and reassured me that I would not feel anything and I did not. She was up front about the fact that, since this was not a necessary procedure, my insurance would most likely not cover the cost at all. I already knew this but appreciated her honesty. After the procedure I felt so much better mentally, even before the numbing wore off. The pain the day after was like I had cut myself shaving but nothing more. They healed really quickly and there is no scaring to speak of. All in all it was something I am very glad I did.

If you have something on your body that you do not like or makes you paranoid, feel free to discuss options with your family doctor before going to a specialist. I saved myself a lot of money by not going to a dermatologist first, since my family doctor was able to do it herself. Know your insurance coverage too. You can't rely on your doctor to be in the know. I was just lucky.