I have becker’s Nevus, I live in India and Doctor has suggested that he will remove it a laser treatment. I would like to know how effective and safe the procedure is. I would also be interested to know if it can be cured without a laser treatment.
1 Like
I have tried acupuncture, homeopathy, laser treatment, western medicine, creams, lotions etc. Nothing helped. Told to live with it unfortunately, which is why i am here to discuss with people with the same condition!
Just tattoo over it if thats what it comes to…
You will find that there is no ‘good’ treatment for this condition. Yes, some people (me being one) have tried laser treatment but I would say that the results are far from what I’d call successful. I’ve seen a picture of some poor guy who had it on his back/shoulder and he had them fry all that area with a laser only to have it turn this even weirder blotchy color.
Mine is on my right rear hip. When I go to the pool, you can’t really see it…it’s below my waistline. However, it’s pretty large. I too considered laser treatment and had a doctor spot test it. Good thing too cuz it didn’t do crap for it. Infact, that little area looked darker.
If you do enough research you will find that there are treatments for Nevi but…a Beckers Nevus is not a true Nevus. A true nevus is more like a mole and I think under a microscope exhibits certain cell structure characteristics. What we call a Beckers Nevus is actually a hamartoma, something more similar to a neoplasm.
Besides cases where they were able to stretch the surrounding skin and excise all of the affected area (which would obviously leave a fairly large scar), I have not seen a treatment for our condition.
I just turned 38 and honestly, I am at the point in my life where I don’t give a crap about it anymore. When I think back to all the time I spend worrying about it when I was younger it makes me sick. What a complete waste of time. Whether you have a Beckers Nevus or a huge scar from surgery or a big blob or blotchy skin…the fact is none of us will ever have perfect skin.
I do understand that people have this condition on areas where they cannot easily conceal like mine. I hope that one day there is an effective treatment.
The post above is correct. I have seen tattoos over this condition that effectively cover it. However, not all of us are tattoo kinda people. I considered this option earlier but trying to explain to my 6 y/o daughter why daddy suddenly had a big dragon on my ass it gonna be tough.
Medical advances are being made every day so…cross your fingers folks.
Hi, I have beckers nevus on left side of my face – I tried laser but it left me with a scar which looks more worse than before.
Can any one help me?
I would suggest going to a board certified plastic surgeon. They could
remove some scar tissue and possibly do a skin graft, depending on how
severe the scarring is. I think that would be the only realistic option at
this point, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to get the opinion of a good
surgeon about this matter.
Good luck!!!
Hi everybody out there with a lovely Becker’s Nevus.
I’ve pretty much accepted that nothing can be done about it, unless medical science advances even further. What I am interested in now is experience on you older guys or girls on living with it. How do people react to you when they see it, is good, bad or just dismissed and they don’t talk to you anymore? When you go on a date and one thing leads to another, when is the best time to mention something embarrassing like this, or just wait for them to see it and try and explain what it is then (a bit of a passion killer). If you decide to have children, what are the chances of your children getting the same thing and living with it too?
As a guy we can be quite superficial when it comes to a womans body. However growing up with a Becker’s Naevus makes you confront this head on (rightly or wrongly) and I think you are an unusual man in that you look for a girl with a good personality first and foremost. Are there websites out there that have girls on it that openly don’t mind this kind of thing? (A long shot, buy hey worth a try!).
I am quite a successful, young male with a good career. People are asking why I am not married yet and I keep saying that I haven’t found the right girl. I am quite good looking (I have been told on many occasions) so have no difficulty talking to or attracting a girl in the first place. It is just that I hesitate getting closer as I constantly think about whether she will reject me when she finds out about the Beckers Nevus. This sounds stupid when I write it down here but it is true. I often find that I avoid swimming or going to the beach because I don’t want to be stared at. I don’t want to restrict a girl from having a full and happy life because she has to hang around me. Am I being stupid or does anybody else feel like this too?!
If anyone can offer some helpful advice I would be very grateful. Otherwise we can all drown in our misery.
Hello,
Your letter is very depressing to me. I am a mom with a very pretty and
petite daughter who is a dancer and also very smart. She has a patch on her
shoulder, and you can see it when she wears a dance costume. She is only in
middle school, and it isn’t very dark right now, but I understand that it
gets worse over time as she grows up. I am very upset and sad to hear how
you feel and how your life is affected. I hope you know that you are a
loveable and desirable person and you shouldn’t feel that you will be
rejected. As a woman, I know for a fact that women do not judge bodies like
men do. You must trust someone to love you the way you are. But I also
know that if you are affected so badly, how much worse will it be for my
daughter when men judge the body so critically and can’t see past that?
Would you date a girl with a nevus? I am wondering if there is anything
your family could have done differently to make you feel more confident?
Did they joke around about it? If your family could have supported you
better, please tell me in what way so that I won’t make the same mistakes.
But believe me, you have to trust a woman to love you and I guarantee that
the right person will see past that. If your nevus is on the trunk, you
should wear a rash guard when you swim. Those look good and keep you from
getting skin cancer, plus nobody will see the nevus. My daughter has a cute
hot pink rash guard and she looks really good and very sporty in it.
Best wishes to you…
I was wondering if anyone here treated their Beckers Nevus with the Medlite C6 laser? If so, was it helpful? I’ve been currently undergoing some IPL treatments. I had 1 treatment and it did lighten a little bit. I’m not sure if its worth the money to treat it with IPL. I haven’t heard of anyone treating the Becker’s Nevus with IPL. However, the yag laser seems to leave a brown bruising mark. There’s also a Apogee Alexandrite laser. Has anyone try that yet? I would appreciate any help.
If you feel self conscious, you might consider covering up your Beckers Nevus with a product called Dermablend. I haven’t used it for my Beckers Nevus yet, but I have with my port wine stain. It covers it up, but I can still tell theres a powder there. However, maybe some of the females here can elaborate on cover makeup and etc.
Hi Ames,
Thank you for the kind words. As I said earlier I’ve never really had an in depth discussion about it. The older I get, the more confidence I have that I will find someone eventually, although it may be like finding a needle in a haystack! As for advice about what to do with your daughter. I think the fact that you are on this website and asking all the right questions is already enough. You are obviously already recognize the social impact this mark could have on her life, and that is a great start. I think in my situation, my parents don’t seem to have recognized that and so therefore cannot put 2 and 2 together as to why my love life has never really flourished.
It also could be more mental if what you say is true in that women look at bodies far differently to men. I think if you mentally feel self-conscious about the BN, then you are subconsciously giving off the wrong signals to the opposite sex. I do believe that alot of girls think that i am not interested in them alot of the time, just because of this! It is one to work on and no time like the present.
Recognize that I like your daughter are perfectly healthy normal individuals who are growing up in a body perfect society. Anything abnormal is not often talked about in the media, more laughed at. I suppose there lies the root of fear that we have of exposing ourselves. I am not particularly depressed (at least I don’t think so) and generally quite happy, so long as I’ve got my clothes on! I would talk to your daughter and listen to her hopes and fears like any good mother would.
I will write again sometime in the not too distant future!
Hi I’m a 23yr old female and have a becker’s nevus on my right breast. Just to give the female view on this topic. Basically the same things are true w/ girls and this condition. Going swimming is horrible when I was younger I didn’t really mind because your just wanting to have fun and don’t really care what you look like at that age but as I’ve grown older I’ve grown to dread the pool which is horrible because swimming is 1 of my favorite things to do.
I can’t wear triangle tops like 90% of other women and the only suit that hides it looks like a granny suit which it is hard to find any like that looks good on a 23yr old. Every guy I’ve ever dated has said they have been find with my becker’s nevus but again like other posts I’ve read none of them have stuck around. Most of my friends don’t know about it but a couple that do are supportive and say that you can’t really even tell which I know is a lie but at least they try.
I used to think it would just go away and then basically all the doctors I’ve seen said there is no cure and the laser treatment pictures I’ve seen the after doesn’t look any different than the before so I’ve pretty much figured out this is how I’m going to be.
Hi Wefanie1,
Wow, your experiences are just like mine. Although depressing, a problem shared is a problem halved. I think that it is about time to talk about the problems this condition causes as it is far too often brushed under the carpet by the doctors. However, I can understand the doctors as they cannot really do anything about it (at this point in time).
As I am medically trained myself, i can understand the treatment process. I am often the one telling patients that there is nothing that can be done for other conditions too! I think we believe that we are so scientifically advanced that we should be able to solve all of life’s medical problems, but unfortunately the reality is far from it. However, I have heard a long time ago of growing organs from stem cells. Skin being a very large organ would be top priority for 1st degree burn victims etc. As a spin off we Becker’s Naevus sufferers would be able to benefit. For now, knowing and corresponding to other people like yourself is offering a great release valve. Just for the fact that i think we all have a tendency to bottle it all up and hope it will go away!
Please keep on writing about your experiences as I think they are very helpful to people who have not yet been brave enough to write anything. God knows what what have happened to us if the internet had not been invented!
If Ames is reading this, then there are 2 girls who have written with experiences of growing up with a Becker’s Naevus. Maybe they can offer more female friendly advice?
Thank you everybody for being so honest!
What lasers have you tried to used to try to remove the beckers nevus? I’ve used the Qyag5 by Palomar to treat it. It left my skin with a brown color. This other doctor I’ve been seeing is currently using IPL. However, I felt this treatment probably wouldn’t work. My beckers nevus has lightened a bit with IPL. Another doctor suggested I used the Medlite c6 yag laser. I’m not sure if I should save my money and forget about all this.
Hi Dahon,
The doctor used a Ruby laser. I’m not sure of the specifications of the others, but this was suggested as i am of asian decent. Anyway, at higher temperatures my skin scarred, and the scar is there to this day. The rest was treated several times all over with lower power levels, but it still looks the same today. Mine isn’t hairy at all, but then I’m not a hairy person. Hope this is of help to you.
Also tried homeopathic medicine, Chinese medicine, western medicine and ointments, lotions and potions. Also tried chi kung training (10 years+ of) and this has made me feel internally better, but not made a jot of difference to the skin appearance.
Cost me alot of money for all this, but I suppose you have to go through it all just to make sure that it doesn’t work?!
How have you found living with it?
I’m of Asian descent also. I saw a doctor 12+ years ago. He’s top in his field. He did the yag laser on me and it left scaring also. Part of my skin is red. My beckers nevus is on my right arm. It’s huge. It’s a little hairy, although nothing I can’t manage. I don’t wear short sleeve shirts in the summer, because I found people staring at it and looking at it. I look like a burn victim. I’m not sure why these lasers would leave scaring or a browning effect, because a lot of doctors use it to remove tatoos.
Hi to all of you, I have becker’s nevus on my left shoulder. I really want to cover it and is a real problem for me. Can you please tell me, how dangerous is to make a tattoo over it? I have asked many doctors and non of them said for sure what to do. They just said “better not”. Have you ever seen someone that made a tattoo over a Becker’s nevus and face any kind of problems? I want to take my chances if there is any possibility to cover it. Thanks and take care.
Hi Nick Cave,
I must admit tatooing over the naevus has crossed my mind. I have not yet seen any pictures or had any recommendations. It probably also depends on where it is. If it goes up onto your face you end up with a George Clooney (From Dusk to Dawn) kind of tattoo? I don’t know. It would be nice if anyone who has done this would write of their experiences and what to look out for, best designs and other stuff.
I suppose looking like you are part of some gang is preferable to being stared at for other reasons??? Who knows! Discuss.
Hi “Ball”. Yeah, better to look like a gang member, haha! Anyway if anyone made a tattoo over a BN would be really helpfull if he/she share his experience with us, or… wait for me in a few weeks. I have it on my left shoulder in a place that most of the tattoos are made, so it’s cool. The only problem is that i don’t want it to turn in something different and much more dangerous than the nevus itself… 
Take care
To be honest, I don’t think stuff like this will work. Initially when I had my beckers nevus, the doctor gave me some hydroquinone cream, but that failed to work.
Hi i'm an indian girl and i had got my Becker nevus birthmark removed from my right arm, believe me doc took 10,000rs/session. Doc used 2 lasers one was fractional Co2 laser and another was switched Nd yac (medlite). Co2 combo density 10-15%,energy 40-50%. Medlite 1064, 4mm 2.5H2,3.0kj