about

Please note that at this time, I am not accepting questoins. I am having serious doubts about the amount of time and patience that this site requires of me, as well as how I fit into its structure. Becuase of that, I will not be checking advicenators for a while, and thus WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. Here's my intact profile, however, in case I come back.



Welcome to my humble abode... or something.

My name is Brie, but you can just call me Wily (no, that's not my real last name). I'm an eighteen year old from rural Mid-Michigan (think Saginaw or Bay City, only surrounded by miles and miles of trees, corn, and sugar beets).

I'm an honor student, sort of. Not to brag, but I was Salutatorian of my high school class. I specialize in English, educational topics, and social studies, but I'm good with basic sciences and drama too.

I'm a big geek; I like to write and play RPGs, and my favorite video games ever are the Pokemon series. I'm actually a relatively well-known Pokemon master (I've moderated the forums of two bigger Pokemon fansites, and have been an on and off admin at one), and at the two sites where I became relatively popular I aquired the reputation of "The Pokemon Professor." However, that doesn't do me much good here, becuase who is going to ask about Pokemon on an advice site?

I don't have much experience with relationships but I have a natural nack for giving advice about them. I also don't know anything firsthand about things that we do not mention in polite company, but I know a lot about the science and psychology of them, so I'd be glad to answer safety-based questions--just don't ask me about technique, becuase I know nothing. I'll try to answer anything you throw at me, and many things that you don't, though, so feel free to try me.

Be warned though, I'm not afraid to tell it like it is. There are stupid questions, and if yours is one I will respectfully tell you so, and attempt to give you the information you need anyway. If you need to buck up and accept what's happening, I will say so. However, in this column I try to maintain a standard of respect, kindness, and helpfulness; you will not be flamed here. Unless you're a babyeater or something.

So, drop me a line, and I'll do what I can. Live long and prosper!



Requirements

Now, I know this is gonna kinda look stupid, what with this being an advice site at all, but I have a few simple requests for you.



If you do not follow these guidelines, I may not answer your quesiton. I will not say that I won't, because with some questions you don't need to say some of these things, and with some of these guidelines, you can't do anything until I've answered. But please make my life easier. That's what I'm trying to do for yours.

advice

Hi guyz, i was just wondering if it was true that if you have some kindof weird shape mole that means you have cancer, cuz thats what my friend told me and she is really afraid cuz she says she has a weird shaped mole.

Is it true?


~Steph~

I'll try to put all the good advice given into a more usable format.

In people, there are three types of moles. There are normal moles, dysplastic nevi, and melanomas.

Normal moles are small, light brown or flesh-colored, and symmetrical; they are smaller than a pencil eraser. Its normal to get new moles into your twenties, but if they come in normally you should be fine. I have one of these on my face, and you can barely tell it's there.

The "intermediate kind" of moles are called Dysplastic Nevi. They are dark and very large, or sometimes asymmetrical. I have several of these, and I plan on getting them checked out next time I visit a doctor; I have a friend who is practically covered with them. Dysplastic nevi are more likely to turn into cancer than normal moles, and most of the time they're quite ugly anyway (although not always; Enrique Iglesias looked really good with his :p). They can be miscolored, and they're usually very large. Many doctors advocate having these removed.

Melanomas are usually large, dark brown, black, blue, or red, and assymetrical--often, a lot like dysplastic nevi. They change shape or size, bleed, hurt, etc. Melanoma is a VERY DEADLY, very FAST form of cancer. If you catch it early, then survival rates are good, but once it metastisizes (I may have spelled that wrong), it's OVER. They removed one of these from my grandfather, but it had already spread and he died a few years later. With dysplastic nevi and melanoma, it's important to act quickly, but there's no need to worry--at your friend's age, it's probably just a dysplastic nevus.

The biggest thing to look out for is change. Some of that intermediate kind of mole are weird, but they stay the same. It's when they begin to change that you're likely to have a melanoma on your hands (or trunk, or face...).

With dysplastic nevi, they have a very high risk of turning into cancer, and should probably eventually be removed, or at the very least checked out by a doctor.

It is my recommendation that you have your friend talk to her GP (or general practitioner; basically her regular doctor) about the mole. He or she can examine it and tell her what to do next better than I could.

If you're wondering how I know so much about this, it's becuase melanomas run in my family; in the last 20 years two members of my family got melanomas, and one of them died. The victims in my family were in their 60s and 40s respectively, but melanoma does occasionally happen in teens and twenty-somethings, so it's important that your friend get that mole checked out the next time she has the chance.

[view]


(Rating: 5) Wow!! That was a lot of info, and very very specific, best info i have heard yet!!
thanx so much for ur help!! i will ask my friend about it~

~Steph~

<<< Previous Advice Column
Next Advice Column >>>

eXTReMe Tracker