Hi, im a very worried dad of a 4 year old. English is not my first language so I used the help of an AI to redact the following message.
Description: My son developed a dark mole in his ear about 8 months ago. It grew to the size shown in the attached photo fairly quickly. We are concerned because of the "new and growing" nature of the spot, but local specialists are struggling to perform a proper non-invasive assessment (dermoscopy) due to the anatomy of the ear.
Location of lesion: External auditory canal (entrance to the ear canal)
Timeline: Appeared ~8 months ago; grew to current size quickly and has since stabilized.
Clinical hurdles: Seen by three dermatologists. Because of the narrow location, they have been unable to use a dermatoscope to get a clear, magnified view of the borders and pigment pattern.
Questions for the community:
- Given that dermoscopy isn't possible here, is a "wait and watch" approach appropriate, or should we push for more definitive action?
- Our ENT has recommended a separate, unrelated surgery (tonsils/adenoids) soon. Would it be standard practice to perform an excisional biopsy of this mole while he is already under general anesthesia?
- What are the risks of excision in this specific area (cartilage involvement, scarring, or narrowing of the canal)?
- Are there specialized "micro-dermatoscopes" or pediatric ENT-Derm specialists we should be looking for who deal specifically with canal lesions?
Any insight from dermatologists or pediatric ENTs would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
