u/UpAndNo

I'm not sure the species of plant. It was advertised as "On the Rocks" and I've had it for around 4 years.

It sits on a rock that is glued to a shallow dish filled with stones. The instructions said to never let the stones fully dry out, which I've been mostly faithful to over the years. The plant has grown steadily the entire time, with no issues.

I noticed on it's 3 more recent new leaves, that there are red patches on the leaves, with the amount on each leaf increasing with each one (as in, first leave had a couple, 2nd a bit more, and this newest baby leaf has the most).

I tried to research causes, but the top three causes were edema due to too much water/soil being waterlogged, pests like spidermites, or changing the light source.

Issue is...I don't get how it could be any of those?

The plants roots sit in water. There is no soil. I have changed nothing in how often I water it. The instructions even said to never let it totally dry out. I have done that a few times over the years, but never for prolonged periods.

There are no pests or spidermites. I know pests and I unfortunately know spidermites. There's none.

The light source is unchanged. It has sat on this shelf beside an East-facing window (I live in Southern Australia) for almost 2 years now. The only change to the light are normal seasonal changes. Nothing else.

What is wrong with my plant?

Sorry for the poor quality on the first pic, it's the only one I had from before biopsy.

I had a growth on my forehead that I thought was just a stubborn pimple, but it had been months and never fully healed. Over time, it just became a raised, scaly lump. Sometimes it would itch, but if I left it alone and didn't pick it, it wouldn't bleed.

I got it biopsied a month ago, although the doctor said he wasn't concerned by it. I'm a 30 year old, female, Australian. Lo and behold, two weeks later the lab labelled it as a "keratoathoma".

The doctor didn't explain much beyond a very jargon heavy summary paragraph from pathology, so I had to do my own research. And I'm...still confused?

So, a keratoathoma is very similar to a SCC under microscopy, resulting in doctor's treating them the same way. I had a larger excision taken two weeks ago (second picture, results in 2 days when stitches removed; 11), but also I requested two other spots I didn't like removed from my right nostril and under my left eye. Again, the doctor said he doubted their malignancy, but I just said, "That's what you said last time, and now I'm sitting here with an uneven brow lift".

I'm concerned because if the other two spots come back as keratoathomas, he wants to refer me to the hospital for further treatment. I assume this means Moh's?

But my question is, if it is a keratoathoma, can't I just roll with the biopsy? Apparently it's rare for keratoathomas to progress into lethal stages, and often they clear up on their own after several months.

Of course, I would prefer disfiguration to death if the professionals reccomend further excision, but I'm just so anxious because the nose and under the eye are such sensitive areas. And I'm already struggling with dealing with one eyebrow being 2cm higher than the other now, let alone missing a nostril and having my eyelid pulled down.

Okay, I'm catastrophising and being dramatic, but it's midnight and anxiety is spiralling in the dark confines of my bedroom. And then Google said that multiple keratoathoma appearing at once could be a sign of an internal cancer and then I had a panic attack.

Still having one? Slightly?

I'm not even sure the point of this post. To vent. To hear from others. To be told that further surgery won't disfigure me.

This sucks.

Edit (Update): In case anyone was curious, results came back that the forehead is now fully excised and clear. The other two biopsy sites were benign; basically abnormal, damaged hair follicles. However, that's how keratoacanthomas can start so...glad they're gone. Better to be safe than sorry. I wish everyone here health and happiness ❤️

People used to say hazel but I see no green at all.

Light brown?

Also don't be concerned with the brown spots, they've always been there.