Mole Removal

[Thanku2]

Hello, I am a male aged 26 staying in Phuket. I have a mole on my back that is worrying me a little, i have decided to have it checked out.

Where should I go for an examination of my mole, and if it needs to be removed what price range am i looking at ?

First of i want to check that my mole is not cancerus, and then I might have it removed.

Should i go to a hospital like Phuket bangkok for this, or are there other cheaper clinics that offer what I need looking at.

Any advice is very much appreciated.

Thank you

[crazydrummerpauly]

Hi, i cannot recommend particular hospitals or clinics, but i just wanted to

say that very few moles - especially those not naked to the sun - are malignant.

I have had large (pretty ugly really) moles all my life, and on my back now they

are numerous and huge - black and approaching a centimetre across. I have had

several removed back in the Uk, and they were all benign no matter how they looked.

A couple of them even itched and hurt at times, when i was very active and rushing

about at work. The last laboratory test i had, the report said that the mole was 'benign',

and it was of a common type called : Lentigenous Junctional Naevus - it was also said

to be 'slightly inflamed' and 'heavily pigmented'. I would absolutely NOT dissuade anyone

from getting checked out ( i should go again myself ), but i would advise against getting

too scared about evey mole that appears. I would never sleep if i looked at my skin in

a fearful mood, because as i get older, the number of moles increases steadily.

However, moles that do sudden things, like change shape, get bigger, or start to hurt,

or appear out of nowhere - especially where intense exposure to sun has occurred - should

be checked professionally IMMEDIATELY.

Good luck with the check-up and procedure !

Edited August 29, 2010 by crazydrummerpauly

[GoodKarma]

There are a few previous posts about this already have a look and you should find them, they were not to long ago. Here in the Phuket forum and in the health forum.

Also if you are open to doing your own research then also check out Bill O Leary's blog about this and his experience at the Phuket hospitals. I know him personally and know his story is real and he has nothing to gain from sharing it except just that.. to share it.

Even if you don't read it look at the photos.

http://www.billolearyphuket.com/ArticleView.asp?ArticleID=33

Good luck.

[Sheryl]

There isn't much to chose from hospital-wise in Phuket and none of them all that good. You will not find a dermatologist with rraining or experience in a western country, and skin cancers are rare among Thais. However should be able to get a mole removed and biopsed at Bangkok Phuket Hosp or at the government hospital (Vachira). As far as i can tell none of the other hospitals have dermatologists and those in stand alone derm clinics (1) are geared towards cosmetic work rather than skin cancer and (2) most importantly, do not have the facility to do a biopsy which is the most important thing.

Suggest you call them and ask for a quote, make sure the quote includes both excision of the mole and biopsy. The removal alone will probably be a few thousand baht but the pathology exam will be at least another 2000, maybe a bit more.

With a dermatologist trained and board certified in a western country and experienced in treatment of skin malignancies I'd be OK with just getting an opinion and, if the doctor felt confident it was beningn, then skipping the biopsy (in which case laser is an option instead of excision if preferred) -- and I have done this myself -- but dealing with doctors who do not have that experience, I recommend you get it biopsed no matter what.

Or else if you will be coming to Bangkok, there are specialists there I could recommend.

[chiang mai]

As Sheryl has already pointed out the options in Phuket are limited, if I were you and I was really concerned about things I would take an inexpensive trip to Chiang Mai sometime soon and visit any one of the many good quality and relatively inexpensive hospitals/clinics there, Chiang Mai Ram hospital dermatology can be very good and the consultation should not exceed around five hundred baht.

[Thanku2]

Thank you for the response so far. I just called Phuket Bangkok hospital and talked with the skin center, apparently the cost of a biopsy is 9000 baht and 1000 baht per mole that you get removed by laser. I tried asking what the price would be and if they offer another kind of treament than laser removal, and here I am thinking if I need to have my mole surgically removed.

But the lady on the phone did not seem to understand what i was saying, I will go and have the dermatologist check my mole and get a biopsy. Does it matter if my mole is removed by laser or is surgically removed?

Thx

[Sheryl]

Usual procedure is what they call a "punch biopsy" - basically just cut it out and send for biopsy, often using a device not unlike the hole punchers used on paper to punch out the mole. Then maybe a suture or two. I am not sure how they would go about laser removal and biopsy, seems odd as laser would damage the specimen. I think the person answering the phone was just reading off a price list and there was no listing for excision of moles.

It may be that be the 9000 baht is for excision + biopsy; after all, without excision there is nothing to biopsy.

If not, I don't think the additional cost will be that much, it's not a time consuming or complex procedure. Would expect it to be no more, and possibly less than, laser removal.

[fishhooks]

Is it 'fairly' normal for moles to appear and grow on various parts of the body as one gets older. Even on areas not exposed to the sun?

[lopburi3]

My price at Vejthani in Bangkok yesterday for an unknown type of skin growth on leg (shave for testing and laser removal):

Doctor consulate 300 baht

Doctor treatment 1000 baht

Pathology small 1000 baht

Laser and med about 500 - 800 baht

Unsure of exact med/nurse care costs as had CT scan/flu shot/normal consultation/blood tests done on same bill.

[Thules]

About 4 years ago and at the Bangkok Phuket Hospital, I had a dodgy looking mole removed from my shoulder. The doctor very carefully cut it out using something like a scalpel. Fifteen minutes and a couple of stitches later, job finished.

I did have the mole analysed (in Bangkok). Returning to the hospital ten days later to have the stitches removed, I was advised that the mole was not cancerous. I seem to recall the whole procedure only costing me about 4,000 Baht.

(Some 30 years ago, my elder brother did have a malignant melanoma successfully removed from his back. But this was a major operation by comparison. He's remained cancer free to this day, and 10 years after the event, succesfully obtained BUPA insurance).