A mole should be examined before it is removed. Once we know what it is, the method is chosen for the cleanest result on your skin.
Moles are removed by shave removal or full excision under local anaesthetic. Any mole with atypical features is sent for pathology rather than simply shaved off.
Questions about your own situation? Call (786) 738-9515.
Every mole is examined with dermoscopy first. We are looking at symmetry, border, colour distribution and vascular pattern, and comparing the mole to the rest of your moles — an outlier matters more than any single feature.
If a mole has atypical features, it comes out as a full-thickness sample and goes to pathology. If it is clearly benign and simply raised, catching on a razor or bra strap, removal is straightforward.
This ordering is not negotiable. A shaved-off melanoma loses the depth information that determines treatment. If you have many moles, start with a full-body skin exam.
Shave removal is used for benign raised moles. After local anaesthetic, the lesion is taken flush with the surrounding skin. No sutures, a small dressing, heals in one to two weeks and usually leaves a flat pale mark.
Surgical excision removes the mole through the full thickness of skin with a margin and is closed with sutures. It is the method for moles with atypical features, for deeply rooted moles, and for anything requiring complete pathological assessment. It leaves a linear scar the length of the closure.
Facial moles are planned with the scar in mind, using relaxed skin tension lines. Where a lesion turns out to be malignant, treatment follows the skin cancer pathway.
Every removal leaves some mark. What varies is how noticeable it is. Shave sites tend to heal as a flat lighter circle. Excisions heal as a line that starts pink and fades over months.
Keloid-prone and richly pigmented skin needs a frank conversation before facial or chest removal, because the scar can be more visible than the mole. In those cases we sometimes advise leaving a benign mole alone.
Aftercare is simple and it matters: keep the site clean and moist, do not pick the crust, no swimming or gym until closed, and rigorous sun protection over the scar for months.
Acid pastes, freeze pens and thread kits sold online destroy tissue indiscriminately. Two problems follow: the scar is usually worse than a properly planned removal, and if the lesion was a melanoma, the diagnosis has been delayed and the evidence damaged.
We regularly see patients months after a home kit with a scarred area and a lesion still present underneath. Cheap becomes expensive quickly.
If you have noticed a change in a mole, book an examination: (786) 738-9515.
Yes, every removal leaves some mark. Shave removal usually heals as a flat pale circle and excision leaves a fine line that fades over months. On the face we plan the closure to keep it as discreet as possible.
When a mole is removed because it has concerning features or is being sent for pathology, it is a medical procedure and generally covered. Removal purely for appearance is treated as cosmetic.
Watch for asymmetry, an irregular border, more than one colour, a diameter larger than a pencil eraser, and any change, itching or bleeding. A mole that looks unlike your others deserves an examination.
