Moon Charles Dermatologist

Last week I went to Advanced Dermatology (which is now located on Megan Dr.), where I saw Heather, a nurse practitioner in Dr. Moon’s office. I went in for treatment for rosacea, and to ask some general questions about skincare for my type of skin. When she noticed a small white bump on my check she said she thought it would be a good measure to check it for skin cancer. I told her the spot had never really bothered me before, but the way she said «small biopsy» and «check» made it sounds like a harmless procedure to me. (I will point out, I’ve never had a biopsy before.) Had she told me before cutting on my face that I would be left with a wound that would take several weeks to heal and would likely scar, I would have said no. But she didn’t inform me of ANY of that. She didn’t even talk about caring for the wound after the procedure. Again, if she had mentioned there would be a wound, I would have said no to the biopsy. In my head, only a little scrap was being taken off this bump on cheek… Call me naïve, but I am not a doctor. Just a very uninformed patient.
I didn’t see the cut in the office because she put a band aid on and the skin was numb. But when I got home and lifted the bandage I was in complete shock. There was a deep, round incision in my cheek where she removed the entire mole — the mole that was unnoticeable and not even bothering me. I immediately called her office to express my shock. They had me leave a message and she called me back at the end of the day. And the real kicker, is she said «didn’t I give you a handout on how to take care of it?» A handout. Seriously? Not only did she not give me a handout but the bigger issue here is that she did not explain the procedure or the outcome so that I could make an informed decision. I thought to myself, «What if I was getting married in a week? Or had a big interview?» Would she not at least want me to know about the healing and scarring so I could plan around it? I mean, it’s a prominent area of my face.
Yes, I understand that skin cancer is a serious thing, but in no case it is okay to not tell a patient what to expect. I will now have to wait months for healing and may have a permanent mark as a result of this poor treatment.