A Cheap (And Non-Invasive) Skin Procedure Is Hiding Right Now At Your Dermatologist
by Audie Metcalf
After a general mole-patrol trip to the dermatologist, I learned about a super fun new term to describe the little dark, raised, bumps beginning to pepper my back and jawline – Seborrheic Keratosis! Wheeee!
After I lightly hyperventilated, my derm explained that these non-cancerous lesions (lesions?!) can begin to appear with (deep breaths) advancing age, and are the most common of the benign tumors. So many horrifying words to grapple with during my slow march towards death!
He also explained that no treatment is required for any kind of health-related issues, but can be removed solely for vanity/clinging to one’s beauty and youth for as long as humanly possible. Aka, I got the treatment right then and there and cost wasn’t a factor and just do whatever you have to do burn them I don’t care if it hurts keep going are they gone yet.
So, while I was lying on the papered table, slipping in and out of various transcendental mantras which included “age is only a number” and “Alicia Silverstone is exactly your age and she looks like a dewy angel” and “the mom from Growing Pains was like 40 in the last season and she was still super hot”, I learned that the procedure is relatively inexpensive, and requires only a “hyfrecator” which essentially cauterizes the area with a tiny, needle-like apparatus.
It works by emitting a high-frequency electrical pulse, which destroys the tissue of the mole. It’s not particularly scary (though it does hurt like a sonofabitch, and I recommend going when you’re not one week before or after your period) and is completely non-invasive. Immediately after the procedure you can experience varying degrees of temporary, welt-like redness on the affected spots, and while you do get little, darkened crusts on the moles for a couple of weeks post-procedure, there is no down time. After they’ve darkened and shriveled a bit, they just flake off, and you’re left with fresh, beautiful, non-lesionous skin. Take note: it’s best not to have this procedure done when you’re tan or else you risk potential scarring.
For my procedure, I paid $250, which meant there was no limit to how many spots they would zap, and you can see the pretty remarkable difference of the before and after photos above. For reference, they were taken one month apart.
TLDR; this procedure doesn’t have a name per se, but you want to ask your derm if your spots are also indeed called Seborrheic Keratosis, and if they wouldn’t mind zapping them right off with a “hyfrecator.”
As with all medical procedures, you should consult with a doctor, and he/she will explain whatever is right for you. But if you suffer from something that seems at all similar, just know that you probably don’t have to live a sad, speckled life if you don’t want to, and a fast, relatively inexpensive solution awaits.
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
