An emergency doctor has offered some vital advice about your skin, concerned that many people could be putting their health at risk. The expert warned not to pick at any unusual skin lesions on your body as they could indicate something serious.
It’s quite normal to notice changes to your skin every now and then. Pimples and freckles that appear from time to time are typically nothing to worry about.
However, in some cases they can be warning signs of skin cancer – the fifth most common type of the disease in the UK. These need to be checked by a doctor.
This is where Doctor Suraj Kukadia, who is best known online as Dr Sooj, had a warning for his followers.
Speaking on social media platform TikTok, Dr Sooj explained that any lesions on the skin need to be “intact” for a medical expert to examine.
He said: “Really, really important point from today. If you have a skin lesion on your body somewhere, if it’s irritating you, please don’t pick at it.
“Don’t pick it off. Don’t do anything. If you’re worried about it and you’re going to come and see a doctor, please just leave it intact until you’ve seen the doctor because once you pick it it will start to bleed a bit, it will scab over.
“It’s now not the same skin lesion that you were worried about. And then there’s nothing for us to really see or examine.”
Skin lesions are any part of your skin that’s abnormal from the skin around it. According to experts at the Cleveland Clinic they are “common” and are often the result of an injury or damage to your skin, however, some have the “potential to be cancerous”.
As a general rule, some skin lesions that are typically benign include birthmarks, moles, skin tags, freckles, and acne. But something that changes could signal a more serious issue.
This includes signs of skin cancer such as:
- A wound that won’t heal
- New growth on skin
- Change in existing growth or mole.
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Dr Sooj added: “So please just leave it be. Get it reviewed by a doctor if you’re worried and then try and avoid picking them anyway.
“But if it’s irritating you we can always give you a little cream or steroid cream or something to just reduce that irritation and hopefully give you some treatment for whatever the skin lesion actually is.”
The NHS says you should speak to your GP if:
- You have a mole that’s changed size, shape or colour
- You have a mole that’s painful or itchy
- You have a mole that’s inflamed, bleeding or crusty
- You have a new or unusual mark on your skin that has not gone away after a few weeks
- You have a dark area under a nail that has not been caused by an injury.
“Finding a melanoma as early as possible can mean it’s easier to treat,” the health body adds.
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