Is anyone else out there excessively “moley?” Or, as Ryan prefers to say, “freckly?”
To him moles are gigantic wart-like protrusions that have long hair swirling out of them. To the average person, they’re just bigger, darker freckles.
If you happen to have lots of moles, let’s be molemates, because we’re one and the same. At least that’s what my dermatologist must think since he called me “very moley” today.
The good news is that, despite my abundance of moles, the dermatologist didn’t see anything suspicious, but he did encourage me to check my skin monthly when I do my normal self breast exam and give him a call if any new moles pop up or any old ones change.
Since we’re on the topic of mole heath and skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, I thought I’d share some images of questionable moles from a pamphlet I snagged at the dermatologist’s office this morning.
You come for pictures of food, you get pictures of freaky moles. Suckas! 
On a serious note, if you have moles that resemble any of the above images I would definitely get them checked. Even moles that might not look crazy can be cancerous (just ask Alyssa), so I try to make it a point to see the dermatologist annually, especially since my mom previously had melanoma.
Photo Shoot
After my dermatologist appointment, I high-tailed it home to clean up the kitchen and make myself a quick smoothie because a photographer from the Ocala Star Banner was scheduled to stop by to take some pictures to accompany last week’s interview for future publication.
In the smoothie:
- 1 1/2 frozen bananas
- 3/4 cup 2 percent milk
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
The photographer who came by was incredibly friendly and happened to be a vizsla-lover, so he was awfully fond of Sadie.
Sadie, of course, did the ol’ bob and weave move and didn’t let him pet her, but she did bring him her stuffed goose to play with, so that’s something. When the photographer’s watch reflected some light, Sadie spent the rest of the photo shoot hunting reflections.
She is a gem.
During the photo shoot, we took some standard smiling pictures before I was instructed to chop up some vegetables!
Thank goodness no serious photos were requested because we all know I can’t handle that.
Time to work through the rest of the afternoon before a movie date with two of my girlfriends tonight!
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Sadie is so stinking cute. I’m giving serious thought to getting a vizsla because of her. 🙂
Which movie are you going to watch?! I hope Magic Mike 😀
ha! nope. we’re going to see the new katy perry movie. 🙂 and i am pumped.
I have been looking for a knife like that, what kind is yours and do you like it?
wusthof and YES. i am IN LOVE with it. we got wusthof knives from ryan’s grandma for our wedding and they are unreal. i cannot say enough great things about them.
I LOVE their knives, I have a chef’s knife from that company at it’s the best! Maybe RueLaLa or HauteLook will have a deal on them soon 😉
Ooooh which movie are you guys going to??
That pic of sadie and you is SO cute. ANd I really like how bright that room is. Pretty 🙂
the new katy perry movie… oh yes.
I’ve had two moles removed that were suspicious and on the verge of being bad. I need to go back and get some checked out, its been a while.
Julie – when I go to your pffingers home page, I’m directed to the pesto recipe from yesterday. I have to go to your twitter to get the direct link for newer posts. Is it just my computer?
aaand now it works….yikes – is it Friday yet??
you’re actually not the only one who said that to me today! i just sent an email to the guy who helps me w/ website issues, so we’ll see what’s up!
i’m a “moley” person too. we must be molemates. 😉 our yellow lab is crazy about flashlights, lasers, or any sort of reflective lights. it’s hilarious. he’d spend all day chasing them if we let him!
That smoothie sounds yummy!
I like to refer to myself as “freckly”. The Austin Powers movies ruined me on ever being able to use the word mole again. But reading this post reminded me that I need to find a dermatologist here in San Antonio so I can get checked.
can i just say i hate when i am described as “moley?” i feel like i’m infected with something nasty when i’m told that.
ha! i felt the same way, my moley sister.
Sadie is adorable! I love that she’s light enough that you all can carry her!
I’ll be your molemate! I seriously have hundreds if not thousands of moles…my husband tells me I look like a chocolate chip cookie!
I’ve actually had to have about 12 pre-cancerous moles removed in my lifetime. Luckily, my husband is a dermatologist! He’s able to give me a check every month, so I feel comfortable we’ll catch anything bad or dangerous before it gets too advanced.
I used to work in a tanning salon and it is my biggest regret! I advise EVERYONE I know to stay out of tanning beds and WEAR SUNSCREEN!!
Haha I’m moley too, but I generally stick with the word “freckly” 🙂
I had a derm appt a few months ago and I am a pretty freckly person. I left feeling a little uneasybecause the exam itself went by pretty fast but he said everything looked just fine and to watch for any changes. I’m scheduled to go back in a year!
I was wondering what your thoughts on the Bachelorette are?!? I feel like this season has FLOWN by… probably because Courtney isn’t on it 🙂 ha!
i know! i think she’s gonna pick arie. it seems like she’s been all about him from day one.
(another Emily here in case you’re confused)
I was SO SHOCKED she sent Sean home! He’s so dreamy and gorg and manly. I don’t get the appeal of Arie at alllll.
Emily (the bachelorette.. oh goodness this is getting confusing) was extra teary-eyed this week. Get a grip woman, you have to choose one man of many who are all hot for you, your life is so tough.
Oh well, more Sean for me!
I can definitely be a molemate of yours!
A lot of my moles are in the weirdest places though – one on my chest, one in between my toes, one on my eyelid, and two in my armpit!
I definitely prefer to call it being freckly though…whenever I hear the word mole, I think of the Austin Powers think…not how I would prefer to see myself!
i have one on my butt and just about died laughing when the dermatologist said, “well, there’s the one on your fanny…”
Yes, I always think of Austin Powers… moley moley moley! lol! My boyfriend has some big moles, there’s on his back that makes me a little worried, but I think he said the doc said it was ok.
Tomorrow morning I am having stitches removed from a cancerous spot on my back that my dermatologist removed 2 weeks ago. Go get checked ladies!! A skin exam is short and painless and totally necessary! Finding these cancerous spots early is so important. Ill wear my little scar with pride knowing that my being proactive has certainly paid off!
I have a lot of moles/freckles whatever on my back. And I’ve had one pre-cancerous spot removed from my back. Now I have a lovely scar. So fun. 😉
Love love love that picture of you and Sadie! Hilarious!
Team moles hahah. Im getting one of mine removed in a few weeks. I love my moles but sometimes they can get scary! haha
Haha, that pic from your wedding is so funny; Ryan looks like he’s trying hard not to smile. My husband and I are the same way; I look awkward or mad.
I go to the derm annually too to check on suspicious moles since I was a lifeguard for nine yrs and had some bad bad burns. That’s great that you do self breast exams! I have to get better with that!
Molemates! (or frecklemates….although that doesn’t sound as cute!)
“E” shoud also be on the pamphlet (ABCDE) for “evolving”. Moles (or freckles) that evolve over time should definitely be checked out!
Also, apparently symmetry in moles is something to look out for. I had a spot removed on my back (turned out to be abnormal but not yet cancerous) because I had another mole in almost THE EXACT SAME SPOT on the OTHER side of my back. My derm said that is suspicious mole behavior!
You and Courtney are on the same page today…she was visiting the dermatologist too to get moles checked! random!
So random you posted about moles today. I recently had a doctor tell me I’m “very moley” also so today I took advantage of a free skin cancer screening that was in town. Like you, I checked out clean!
Have fun at the movie later on! I have lots of freckles, I hate the word moles haha. They remind me of how Ryan describes them. So I never use that term. I need to go to the dermatologist and get checked up since I have fairly light skin. I’ve never gone before, so should probably get on that
I am also moley. Every time I say that I think of Austin Powers and Fred Savage with that big hairy mole on his face.
They are nothing to take lightly. I had a basal cell removed 18 months ago. I am checked every six months and typically have 2 or more removed each year that are abnormal or odd.
Embrace your moley-ness!!!
Love, Sadie! I have a 8 year old Weim!
thanks for the reminder about an annual visit to the derm. I’m def due! I’m a bit moley/freckly myself and tend to worship the sun a little too much during these summer months!
My 1 yr old Vizsla, Vinni, freaks out over reflections and flash lights, too. It is HILARIOUS!!!
Also, I just took a similiar pic like the one of you holding Sadie of my BF holding Vinni. Although he is almost 60lbs and your little girl is quite petite!! <3
Moley… haha! I have a lot of “beauty marks” as I call it. Thank you for reminding me to get them checked.
Awww, Sadie! I wonder if my little guy would protest having a Vizsla around. Probably. He gets upset if I feed the neighborhood kitty! 🙂
I´m a moley person and cancer freak as well (pretty hypochondriac i´m afraid) ;))) so i loved the moles pamphlet along the usual food and sadie pics;))) Sadie´s gorgeous by the way,one very sexy ¨model¨ dog;))
Hey mole sista!!! I too was told by my dermatologist that i am a very moley person!!! For years i thought they were freckles…and i am a nurse!!! I have to tell you though, that i have a small mole in the shape of a heart :). I love that mole!!
From the looks of it, it seems we moley girls have LOTS of molemates, lol!! I have two moles on my neck that are placed exactly like a vampire bite. I get so many comments on them, especially when Twilight was all the rage.
I always think my moles are suspicious but when I get to the dermatologist, sure that I have skin cancer they are always kind enough to reassure me that they are all normal. Knock on wood that it stays that way!!
Sadie’s “reflections” are “The Shinies” in our house… be it flashlights; laserpointers; a shiny book cover or the light from my kindle on the ceiling…. all you have to do is ask “Where are the shinies?” and our dobies go nuts! Especially Ms Lily who I think is Sadie’s evil twin sister….
I have been LOVING protein smoothies this summer. I think some of my fav pics on your blog are you holding Sadie. Something too funny about a person holding a gigantic grown dog. I love it 😀
I swear, every year my freckles get worse and worse. I have been meaning to have them checked out. Thanks for the info!
And that protein smoothie looks fantastic. I’ll be trying it out 🙂
I actually was the youngest person to my derm diagnosed with melanoma (I was seventeen at the time). I got a TON of bad sun burns when I was younger especially when I’d go to Sanibel where my best friend has a place. We’d put it on and stay out all day and never reapply. I’m almost 21 now and have had some scares but haven’t had another problem since!
Some cancerous moles might not even look like that! Mine was a small pea sized bump under my skin. I had asked a few doctors about it and all said it was probably just a fibrous cyst. Finally, the summer before I went to college, I decided to get it removed because it was “ugly” and I didn’t want people to see it. (SO vain but because of that I’m still living) Now I have a large truly ugly scar in place, but I’m happy and I love when people ask. When they do, I can explain how unnecessary tanning really is, hopefully in the long run I’ve saved at least one life!
Really glad you wrote this post and shared the image with all your readers, thanks!
Random question … where did you buy the paintings hanging in your kitchen, or other wall art for the rest of your house? Decorating an apartment now and everything I pick is so expensive!
Funny you are writing about moles. I had to go get one removed on Thursday. Results came back as cancerous so I am going back on Tuesday to have it cut out. Gross I know. Wish me luck 🙂
Seriously Julie, your blog cracks me up! It’s always such a fun read every day!
Julie, thank you so much for posting the picture with the moles. (I prefer to call them freckles lol) I’m always the one who wears sunscreen. Always. But when I was 16, my mom bought this spray on kind (COMPLETE CRAP!) and I got burned on my shoulders SO bad… I got sun poisoning, had to get steroid shots, and my skin hardened so much that you could tap it and it sounded (and felt) like plastic. I couldn’t raise my arms because the skin had hardened so much. I’ve never been burnt like that.
After the skin healed, I was left with TONS of sun spots/moles/freckles or whatever you would like to call them. It’s been 6 years now and I can’t really see the ones on my back, but there’s one on my shoulder that has gotten bigger and it’s scaring me. But based on those pictures it’s not cancerous!
Going to the dermatologist in early August for another skin related issue, but I will def be showing off my spots! Thanks for easing me until then 🙂
Julie –
Thank you for sharing this info!! Awareness is SO important.
My sis and I are California girls . . . spent all our life in the sun. A mole on the back of her calf turned out to be melanoma, a very deadly form of skin cancer. She had surgery and major biochemotherapy a couple of years ago.
Be aware, ladies. And take control. My sister had shown the mole to a PAC the year before she was diagnosed, and the PAC dismissed it. Had it been caught then, it may not have spread to the lymph nodes.
Hi! I just wanted to say that I think it’s awesome that you wrote this post. As a fellow ‘molemate’ I’ve sort of always been ashamed of being so mole-y. It’s nice to know that there are others out there! Also, I thought the timing of this post was perfect, because I, too, had an appt today about my moles! Nothing looks cancerous; just a consultation to get a few removed (for vanity reasons, I suppose). Anyway, since I’m writing this I’ll go ahead and say that I really love your blog. I’m a FL girl as well (stationed in Hawaii right now…not so bad, eh?), but I miss FL so much! Especially the St Pete area. So reading your blog sometimes brings me back home. I also love your workouts!
Thanks so much for posting the mole pictures, I have really pale skin and have to visit the dermatologist once a year for check ups to make sure everything on my skin is good to go. I think the more people are aware of what is not a normal mole and what is the better. I had one suspicious looking one removed and the derm called me and told me it was completely fine, that I was actually born with it, so that was a big relief. Wear sunscreen, don’t tan, and protect your skin. Not only will it help keep you from getting cancer, it will keep you looking young! 🙂
I’ve always had extra “freckles” and always been WAY self-concious of it. I’ve had several of them removed as they were likely to turn into skin cancer (totally scary to be told that at the age of 14 when the first was removed). Seeing these freckles is just an extra reminder of importance of sun block and annual appointments with the dermatologist to get doulbe checked! Molemates we are! 😉
julie, did you know that having lots of moles or lack thereof is hereditary? my mom’s side of the family has lots of moles and i do as well. i have been getting a skin cancer screen once a year for the past 4 years now and the thing that irritates me is the derms i’ve seen always seem “perplexed” as to why i am having a screening. how many magazine articles and t.v. shows do you see where a derm or health care professional (nurse/doc) is interviewed about skin cancer and they strongly encourage EVERYONE to get screened once a year?? luckily, my insurance pays for a screen and i tell the derms that this is preventative, just like going to the dentist or the gynecologist. where i live there are no dermatologists so i have to travel 1.5 hrs to see a derm and schedule my appointment a year in advance.
HAHAHAHA Sadie.
I was at a dog show once and the dobermans were across from the vizslas. Now dobermans are not necessarily visions of emotional stability but vizslas really do have the melodramatic market cornered.
It was just so funny seeing the dobermans all standing on guard and suspect and the vizslas all looking like they were going to die. If they two could band together they would be quite the little meltdown posse.
Being a natural redhead I am very freckly and fair. Lucky aye? I’ve had my skin checked never any problems. I have a couple of moles and one is actually eating itself! Ughh.
Hi Julie! I haven’t commented for a while, but have been a faithful (daily) visitor 🙂
Thanks to your inspiration, I began weight lifting. I may join Tina’s Boot Camp as well, though I’ll miss a week because of a trip. Plus I don’t have any weights at home, so I’ll have to do them in the gym. Do you ever feel foolish doing moves that you aren’t sure of? I always feel like people are staring like “what the heck is this girl doing?!!”
PS. Thought you might be interested in a test I just tried–the RealAge Test (linked from Daily Garnish): http://www.realage.com/raap/realage-test. in it 🙂 Would love to see your comment on its accuracy!
PS2. I’m heading to East Euro tomorrow (family trip), so I cannot access the internet for 2 weeks. Guess I’ll go through a posts-reading-marathon when I’m back! LOL
Take care 🙂
I am a melanoma survivor of 6 years. Can’t say enough about sunscreen!!!!! Believe it or not, but you can still get a nice tan when using sunscreen. Thanks for sharing!!!!
BTW – love, love, love your blog. So inspiring!
growing up in fl and more into tanning rather than sunscreen back when i was a kid/teen, i have had faaar too many burns. now i am paying for it … i have to go every 6 mo rather than a yearly exam because of 9 precancerous moles over the past 9 years. i’m more freckly and burn rather than the quest i was on to tan. sunscreen is my bf now. hee! i only like to get my daily dose of vitamin d and its on or i’m out of the sun! 🙂