At times some of the moles need to be removed. The reason may be cosmetic, or a suspicion that a particular mole may be a skin cancer. Other than taking a wider margin around the mole in cases of suspected skin cancer the procedure is essentially the same.
PROCEDURE DESCRIPTION
A local anesthetic agent is injected around the mole and the lesion (mole ) is surgically removed. The wound is then closed with sutures. It is advisable to send the specimen (mole) for pathological examination to know the exact nature of the lesion. Sometimes, in suspected skin cancers, if the removal is incomplete, the procedure may have to be repeated for the complete removal.
SIDE EFFECTS:
The undesirable side effects are resultant scarring, possibility of recurrence, and sometimes keloid (raised, thick scar) formation. Though it is unpredictable that how a particular scar will heal, most of the scars heal well, without leaving a noticeable mark. Most of these procedures are done under local anesthesia in an office setting, requiring practically no time of work. Pain is also a very slight requiring mild analgesics.
