Chris Fanning
From Health magazine
Our bodies have an amazing capacity to freak us out. Maybe it’s a twitch that you’re sure means multiple sclerosis. Or a little mark that must be cancer. You could Google symptoms for days—and now your pulse is racing, so you can look that up, too. Unless you have a heart attack first...Whoa! Step away from the keyboard. Most twitches, bumps, and pops are actually harmless. Here’s when to see a doctor—and when to just relax.Scary symptom: Skin tags
What’s up with that?
These floppy little nodules, which are usually flesh-toned but occasionally darker, typically develop in spots where skin rubs against skin or clothing, like under the arms, around the neck, under the breasts, or even on the eyelids. It’s not entirely clear why some people are more prone to them than others, although they may run in families. The good news is, they’re virtually never cancerous and can be easily removed by a dermatologist.
See your doctor if...you find a growth that is hard, rough, or darker or redder than flesh-toned. It could be a wart, a form of keratosis, or possibly even skin cancer.
Scary symptom: Red skin spots
What’s up with that?
Those little, round, bright-red spots and bumps on your skin (more common if your complexion is fair and you’re over 40) are likely superficial blood vessels that haven’t been reabsorbed into the skin. “It’s normal,” says David Bank, MD, director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic, and Laser Surgery in Mt. Kisco, New York. “The body naturally makes new blood vessels and takes others away.
But as we age, more blood vessels are made than absorbed, and that’s when we get these little red spots.” Technically, they’re known as cherry hemangiomas or angiomas, and they’re nothing to worry about, Dr. Bank confirms.
See your doctor if...you want to have them removed (a dermatologist can do this with laser treatments). But if you find a spot that’s asymmetrical; is changing in size, shape, or color; begins itching or bleeding; or looks totally different from any other spot on your body, consult a dermatologist to make sure it’s not cancerous.
