Seborrheic Keratosis doctor won't remove

I can well understand why you want this growth removed. What reason has your doctor given for his / her refusal ? I have no personal experience of this but I do sympathize. All I can suggest is that you keep speaking to your doctor about this . You say it is itchy , make the most if that and make it clear how uncomfortable it is - exagerate if necessary!!!! He/ she may be relying on the idea that it should not be removed simply for cosmetic reasons. In which case you might persuade him/ her by insisting how uncomfortable it is. I wish you good luck.

There are a few procedures they refuse to do now all to do with costs. Ear syringing is another as mentioned in another post. Also I had a lot of UTI's and always took a sample with me when I went to see the doctor about it but they told me that they have stopped testing unless they ask for one. I might have to go back and see the doctor again. That's if I can get an appointment. No appts at my surgery till the end of next month.

I have one that’s actually much bigger. Some years ago my GP offered to remove it and I declined as I felt it wasn’t necessary. It’s now grown so big that it occasionally catches on my clothing and is the size of a 50p coin, but you’re correct, it’s no longer a procedure that the NHS carries out.

I have had several small tumours removed though and one of them became infected and has left me with a sizeable scar that had to be packed and dressed every day for several weeks!!

Sorry to hear that grannyactivist. Sometimes I feel a twinge of pain in it apart from the itching. I might try asking the chemist if the spray is available to buy. I've seen stuff on Amazon but you hear of such horror stories of people buying medications etc. that turn out to be nothing of the sort.

My partner was referred to a dermatologist and had three removed a couple of weeks ago.

I was given a cream to put on twice a day and after about a week it formed a scab and now, after a couple of months, it has totally disappeared. I think it was a cortisone type cream.

I looked it up, it was called novasone ointment

You could have it removed privately. You would need to ask your GP to refer you to either a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon depending on exact size and location.

I had a seborrheic keratosis smack bang in the middle of my cheek that the GP said was cosmetic and would not remove. He did - at that same appointment - refer me to a cosmetic surgeon for another small growth on the edge of my lip, which he thought might have been caused by exposure to sun. So at the cosmetic appointment I asked the surgeon about having it removed as a private patient and he quoted £500, said I'd have to come back. The system seems a bit nuts, given that I could have had it done at the same time (it was tiny).

Private medicine cannot be done in NHS time fevertree

I had one of these, about half an inch round, on my arm last year in lockdown. I dabbed it several times a day with tea tree and lemon myrtle oil alternately and it gradually dried up and faded away.

In my experience, any spot or growth I have is dismissed as cosmetic by our GP. DH goes with something similar and it’s removed and sent for analysis.

I have many of them on my torso, more pigmented than yours, but just live with them. I did get them checked by the GP when one bled, and removal wasn't an option. I have two on my face about 5mm in diameter and as long as they don't get any bigger I am thinking of them as beauty spots.

nanna8

I looked it up, it was called novasone ointment

Really? I have some of that here. Hmmmm. Thanks for the tip.

I’m another one with loads of them. GPs no longer remove them, as they are considered to be cosmetic, unless they are catching on clothing and being a problem. I think if you are prone to them, you will get more, and I also think they are a hereditary condition - my late mother also had them, and did have a problem one near her eye removed in hospital.
I just live with them, but must admit I pick some of the more prominent ones on my back!

I have loads too and also pick at them as they are actually tiny, hardly visible, separate nodules. Check with a magnifier. I had a big one on my forehead which was bleeding on and off because I kept catching it.
I picked at it and it’s gone, and so far not returned. It’s an ongoing problem.

Thanks for your comments. I will see if I can either get something from the chemist or ask the doctor for a prescription.

MaggieMaybe - I did the same with tea tree oil and it worked very well. However initially it made my skin red and I was a bit concerned. But after about a week of applying it the skin calmed down and the brown thing was almost gone. I've done this on my forehead and on a really big horrible one on my arm. Both have now almost, but not quite, gone. I was embarrassed to wear 3/4 sleeve shirts because the one on my forearm was so unsightly but now my arm just has a very pale brown mark on it, barely noticeable. However this very week I read that if you use tea tree, because it is very strong, you should dilute it with a carrier oil such as coconut oil. So I'm going to try that as tea tree definitely works really well. I'm interested to learn more about the myrtle oil though as I haven't heard of that. Also I would suggest using Vitamin E cream - I get mine in the health food shop. I put that on age spots etc and think it keeps them at bay. A friend says the same. You have to be patient though. It doesn't happen overnight and can take weeks or a couple of months.

mumofmadboys I understand that, apologies I didn't make it clear, I meant the kerastosis on my cheek dealt with by the GP at the same appointment when I saw him about the lesion on my lip, he has previously happily zapped benign growths (not on my face) with the cold stuff. He is the dermatology GP in the practice where I go.

The point I was making is, I find the system confusing.

As an aside, I go to the GP once in a blue moon ... long may that continue (not because I don't think GPs are wonderful, but I'm one of those people who think if you go to the GP, they are bound to find something wrong with you )

Skydancer, my bottle of tea tree oil says use a carrier oil if irritation occurs. I was lucky though as I didn't have any. The same advice is on the lemon myrtle oil bottle. I can't remember why I bought that originally, and I don't know now which one of them did the trick. But they both have antiseptic properties.

It seems to me that if you have an appointment with a locum , they are more inclined to refer you.

I have a few, since about 20 years. At that time I had a big one under my left breast and daughter made me go to the health centre where a nurse removed it (the wart not the breast!)
All she did was scrape it gently with a sharp knife until the skin was flat. It never came back.
Now I have 2 on my forehead - like my mother. I'll have to find my bottle of tea tree oil, wonderful stuff!

I will see what the chemist says and maybe try tea tree oil. Thankyou all.

skydancer, so called age spots are sun damage, so the best thing to keep them at bay is high factor sun screen.

Thanks for the link Shysal. Has anyone tried Eskata (cream/gel?)? I've read that it's a good at home treatment for senile warts.