BUMPS!  THEY REALLY ANNOY ME!

Often referred to as “barnacles”, seniors sometimes worry that the emergence of new bumps on the skin might represent skin cancer, especially those that are dark, raised and irregular

Often referred to as "barnacles", seniors sometimes worry that the emergence of new bumps on the skin might represent skin cancer, especially those that are dark, raised and irregular. Or, a family member may insist on medical attention to the bump(s). Mr. Wilson was an eighty something who was not in the least concerned about the cosmetic aspects of the large brown bumps on his temples/forehead. He was simply complying with family pressure when he presented for medical assessment of the lesions. There he was reassured that the large and numerous dark brown raised patches on his face were one of the most common skin growths affecting humans in their senior years. The vast majority of these bumps were benign, but those on the face were sometimes "mixed with" a non-pigmented skin cancer. He was not particularly motivated to ablate these bumps for cosmetic reasons because he simply wasn’t bothered by them, but he was in agreement with laser ablation and observation, if there is suspicion of skin cancer. The resurfacing laser took care of the unpleasant bumps within only a few moments, and approximately 7 days later the skin had regrown to a pink & healthy replacement.

Jason, on the other hand was a young man in senior high school who was more sensitive than ever to the cluster of pearly pink domes on his cheeks. He and his mom recall onset of this unusual cluster of bumps in childhood. Ever since, there was no change in size or number, despite earlier conservative efforts to eradicate them. Now however, the young boy had matured into a more peer sensitive person who was conscious of appearances. Accordingly, he was more determined than ever to be rid of the unsightly bumps in the center of his face. In his case, there was no concern about skin cancer or other systemic illness associated with the benign bumps on his face. Several methods of removal had been tried in the past, without any success. His first laser ablation treatment was uneventful and pleasing because his bumps were smoothed. However, the bumps returned rapidly and so a repeat treatment was performed to level the bumps, while an immune modulating cream was added to recruit immunity in suppression of the growth of these bumps. This combination of therapy was successful and Jason’s bumps were history.

Erin was an attractive young woman whose only current concern about her appearance was the red, slightly raised bump on her nose. She explained that the bump had been there for a few years and it was a nuisance because makeup didn’t seem to cover the red spot very well. And when the cover makeup wore off, there was a red bump that resembled an acne pimple. She didn’t appreciate this "permanent pimple" front and center on her face. Following examination, she was explained that the small red bump was common in young women during their reproductive years, and was often referred to as a "spider hemangioma" because little veins (spider legs) radiated out from the central core (body of spider). She was absolutely delighted when a single pulse of laser was effective in immediately shutting down the "body and legs of the spider". A couple of pulses with another laser smoothed the small bump where the spider used to rest. Erin was pleased to finally remove the minor blemish even if it meant that she had a small red scab on her skin for a few days. Upon healing the red raised bump was gone, permanently.

Heather had an issue with all the many bumps, tags and red spots that had appeared on her torso since she had turned 45. She realized that she was looking more like her mom each year. She wasn’t particularly worried about cancer or other sinister diagnoses, rather she wanted to wear her favorite low cut dress to an important family wedding. She had already picked out a dress and now she had to "fix the skin before the wedding". Time was of the essence as the wedding loomed nearer, and so she needed to get the job done, healed safely, and soon. She wanted it all. The browned skin tags grew mostly on the rubbing places of her body, for example, around the neck, and beneath the underarms and breasts. The other brown bumps that grew densely on her torso were the benign but conspicuous raised brown bumps known well to seniors. And if that wasn’t enough to detract from beauty, there were many small red raised domes called "strawberries" that were additionally linked to the aging body. This pattern of age spot development is known to be common and genetic. Other factors contributing to the condition are still unknown. Heather had a good physical exam to ensure all lesions appeared benign, and from there she attended one laser room to "shoot the strawberries". She achieved almost 100% resolution of the red bumps in less than 15 minutes. She was pleased when she went to the next laser for vaporization of the unsightly brown spots. By the end of the 30 minute treatment, hundreds of brown spots were "toasted" to a brown crust that sloughed off 4 days later. Heather looked like a spotted leopard for a few days after the laser treatment as the many tags and bumps and hemangioma crusted over. In fact, the brown scabs flaked off right on schedule and she was thrilled to see her neck and chest looking more uniform a few weeks afterward. She was sure then that she would, after all, be able to wear the special new low cut dress to the wedding, and feel good about it.

There are many small lumps and bumps that a person might acquire, to their great surprise, as they age. The first priority is to ensure that assessment is done of any suspicious bumps to ensure appropriate treatment is implemented early if there are any malignant features. A good quality physical exam is required, and possibly a biopsy. The remaining benign brown and red bumps may be psychologically quite an irritation. Anytime they can be removed easily, with modern lasers, light devices, and topical agents, there can be considerable relief with achievement of normal looking skin.

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