Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner
Wait, This Wasn’t Here Before
Our practice is speckled with questions regarding random red spots and brown spots that seem to have “popped up”. I have yet to hear anyone welcome these red dots or crusty patches with adoration. Instead, the request is the same, “can you get rid of this?”Frequently, YES!!!!
Red Spots
Bright, red, round lesions called cherry angiomas can develop on most areas of our body, especially our trunk and scalp. While some people get more than others, most hemangiomas like these tend to arrive after age thirty. Reddened by a broken blood vessel inside, these bright pink to red lesions are often treated with either lasers or electrocautery, to minimize appearance or remove completely.
Brown Spots
The most frustrating of the brown spots are raised, scratchy bumps called seborrheic keratosis. They can be mistaken for warts, moles, skin tags, and even skin cancer. That said; they appear “stuck on” to the skin. It seems every one of us will get at least one of these in our lifetime, but certainly some folks get more genetically. While various essential oils can be tried to exfoliate these lesions, there are no guaranteed home remedies. Treating these lesions with liquid nitrogen or lasers is an option, but unless irritated, insurance companies typically consider removal to be cosmetic in nature.Large brown freckles on our face and body tend to be our skin’s reminder to us of sun exposure. The term “liver spot” frequently reminds us of these flat, brown pigmented patches on our face and hands, but clinically we refer to them as lentigo. While the majority of lentigo may be treated with liquid nitrogen–or even better managed with the use of lasers or light technology to lift the color–we take care to ensure there are no suspicious signs of deepening pigment or malignancy.Spots can come in all sizes and colors, and while many are benign, some are not. If you have questions about a changing lesion, it is always best to book an appointment online or call us to book an appointment and get it checked.
Kathy sees patients at our Spokane North and Spokane Valley locations. To schedule an appointment, please visit us online or call us at 509.456.7414.