Neck Scar: 1 Year Update

I’ve shared about my experiences about pre-cancerous melanoma cells a bunch over the years. Basically, my dermatologist does a visual body scan on me regularly and if a mole looks sketchy we cut it off and have it sent to the lab. For the past 11+ years, most of the time the test comes back from moderate to severe on the pre-cancer meter.

In January 2021, my dermatologist was concerned that a mole on my neck looked suspicious. As much as I tried to convince her it was just a shy introvert with bad people skills, she encouraged me to have it removed and tested.

After all the moles I’ve had removed, I was resistant at having this one cut off. Reason 1: I HATE anyone touching my neck due to a childhood surgery that left a very faint scar. Reason 2: My scars tend to stay bright pink for a while before fading to white and I was concerned that I would look like I had a hickey on my neck.

I did it though and she removed my shy little neck mole one year ago.

When I posted last, I gave you a 5-month update on what the scar looked like:

So, for those who are curious (and maybe apprehensive about having their own mole removed), I wanted to give you a 1-year update:

Here… let’s get a little closer:

Pretty amazing right?! I thought the scar looked pretty good after 5 months but it’s almost invisible after a full year. And as it turns out, when they tested it in the lab the mole was severe on the pre-cancer scale.

Consider this your reminder to please, please, please book a yearly appointment with your dermatologist to have your moles looked at. And tell your loved ones. And tell your friends. Because you might end up saving someone’s life. If I can influence just one person to go and have their moles checked, it will be worth it.