It depends on what "malignancy" means. There are different types of skin cancers. A basal cell carcinoma or a squamous cell carcinoma on the lip is best removed by a Mohs surgeon who is generally a dermatologist with extra training in doing Mohs procedures. You may want to consider having a plastic... more










4 posts
22 Feb 2009
Hi Dr! Let's say I have a non-cancerous mole (confirmed) removed by laser. The mole was quite deep so not all of the mole was removed. What happens if the little bit of mole under the surface of the skin becomes cancerous after some years? Is it possible that the cancer goes unnoticed as scar tissue from the laser removal some years earlier hides the cancer to the eye of myself or a dermatologist? Many thanks and take care, Pierre
138 posts
9 Jun 2008
There are a lot of good docs that can remove moles and leave very minimal scars. However, at the border of the lip, also called the vermillion border, there is another issue. If the mole involves the part of your lip where the white skin meets the pink lip, the repair must be done very carefully to make sure the white-pink junction lines up perfectly on both sides of the biopsy. Even a 1 mm misalignment can be seen from a distance of about 30 feet! When the doctor injects the local anesthesia, the border becomes harder to see. Sometimes the doctor will need to mark the border on both sides before removing the lesion. Your best bet is to go to a doctor that you are comfortable with and have an open an honest discussion. Tell them your concerns about the cosmetic result in addition to making sure you don't have lip cancer. The doctor should be able to describe how they intend to remove the lesion and restore your lip line. Michael Sinclair, MD
1 post
17 Mar 2009
I have around 9 small moles on my face but one looks like a tag and it's half inch away from my eye.. and i have another big one (the size of a pencil eraser) on my leg. ABOUT how much will it cost to get them all removed?