Most moles and other blemishes are benign or non-cancerous. But because a mole can be a cancerous growth, it is always best to get medical advice if you notice a mole that suddenly changes in size, shape or color, bleeds, itches or becomes painful.

Someone may want a mole removed simply because it is unattractive.

Most procedures used to remove moles and skin lesions take only a short time and can be performed in-office. Usually a mole will not return once it has been removed.

The most common methods of removal include removing the mole by shave excision or cutting out the entire mole and stitching the area closed (excision).

For more information on lesion removal, click here.

Shave excision:

A simple procedure called a shave biopsy is used for treating protruding moles. After the skin is numbed with local anaesthetic the mole, above the surface of the skin, is removed with a scalpel. While a flat white mark is usually left after healing, sometimes the color can remain the same as the original mole.

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Excision

Excision is necessary if the mole is flat or a tumour is suspected. The full depth of the mole is removed and the wound is sutured. The specimen is then sent to a lab for pathological examination. The scar that results from excision may be only a thin line, though it can sometimes be more noticeable than the mole was.

With an excision on the face, the doctor will use a combination of extremely fine sutures and placement of the scar lines in specific parts of the face where the result will be practically invisible.

The coarse hair which sometimes grows in a mole can only be removed permanently excision of the whole mole.

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Laser treatment

Some moles can also be removed with lasers instead of scalpels. Because lasers seal blood vessels and evaporate the tissues they remove, the need for cutting and sutures is eliminated. This may reduce scarring in some cases. After laser surgery, a scab forms and falls off within 2 weeks. The slight redness that is evident after the scab is gone will disappear in time.

For more information on laser treatment, click here.