Does Laser Mole Removal Work?

Skin lesions should first be assessed by a knowledgeable physician, then evaluated for removal. You are describing several different types of lesions, and they will be likely need to be addressed in different ways. - All lesions should be considered for biopsy. - Fast growth, irregular edges, changes in color can be concerning.- some types of "moles"- (lesions)- need a special type of excision, and biopsy- some are benign and can be shaved off- some can be addressed with cryo-freezeAnd last...removal of any mole will always leave a scar. the goal is to make that scar less noticeable than the lesion, and hopefully not noticeable at all. Laser is very useful in general, but you should have your moles evaluated before considering treatment.

Sometimes laser mole removal will work. We recommend a visit to determine the type of mole and at that time a discussion of treatment options is indicated. There are benign and malignant moles, both of which differ in treatment. 

1.  From what you have written, I cannot tell what you have.  You could have real nevi, or moles, or just keratoses, which are benign age changes, or merely freckles from a life of sun exposure2.  Having said that, if they are actual moles (and you determine this by seeing a doctor, not your cousins or friends....LOL) you should never have them lasered.   If you do, there is no specimen to send to a pathologist to examine.  Some moles are potentially dangerous, pre-melanoma, and you would want to know this so a deeper removal can be done.Bottom Line    Get the correct diagnosis and don't go for the easiest way if your life is at stake.

In my opinion, moles should not be removed with a
laser.



Moles are a general term for a growth on the skin, but often
they are made up of non-cancerous pigment cells called melanocytes or
nevocellular cells. The problem is that these
same cells can sometimes be cancerous.
We call this type of cancer melanoma.
Melanomas are curable when found and treated early, but can be deadly
when they are found at a later stage or when they spread to lymph nodes and
internal organs.

When a mole is removed with a laser, the tissue is destroyed
and cannot be examined to be sure that it is not a melanoma.



Also, sometimes people present with melanomas in internal
organs (metastases) and the source of the melanoma on the skin (the primary
lesion) is not apparent. If a mole is
removed and not tested, and at some future date you develop a metastatic
melanoma without a primary lesion, we will always wonder whether one of those
moles that were burned off with a laser was really a melanoma.



Don’t have your moles removed with a laser.

Yes, it works but its not the method I would advice you to use. The laser ultimately
destroys the mole, that in turn makes it impossible to tell if the mole was
pre-cancerous or possible malignant.

 

"Dr.D"

No, lasers are not an effective or wise way to remove moles.  I find the word mole used by many patients to describe true moles, skin tags, seborrheic keratoses, etc.  While lasers are a means to remove some of these benign lesions, the issue is determining which lesions are benign and which ones may be more problematic.  You would never want to remove a lesion with a laser, and not have a pathological assessment in case it is a growth that has some malignant potential or displays worrisome signs.  In those cases, it is necessary to remove the entire lesion and have it evaluated to ensure a proper diagnosis and that proper removal has occurred.  Dermatologists spend years studying moles, melanoma and other growths to develop the expertise to tell the difference.  Don't sacrifice your overall health for a cosmetic concern.  Learn about the dangers of the sun and tanning, perform periodic exams to monitor for changing moles and establish a relationship with a dermatologist who can effectively evaluate your moles and determine which ones are in need of further assessment.

Laser mole removal works by essentially burning off the mole. This will result in a visible white scar as its replacement...effective but not scarless. The least scarring method for a true mole removal would be excision. This will result in the least amount of scar but there will be a scar especially on the thick skin of one's back. If the lesion is not a mole but a more flat problem like actinic keratosis, shaving with a scalpel can leave very minimal scarring. (much less than that of a laser)  

Pigmented moles should never be treated in a way that does not allow biopsy, as there is always a chance that there could be some abnormal cells in them that need more than cosmetic consideration, ( they may have malignant or pre-malignant characteristics). Because "moles", medically known as nevi, originate deeply in the skin, there will always be some knid of "scar". The skin on the back is quite thick, and "full thickness" excisions often heal in an unsightly manner, (they tend to "spread" and not stay in a "fine" line). For lesions that are presumed benign, shave excision is the best cosmetically, but there will be physicians whom are uncomfortable with this removal method becuase of the small possibilty that, if  the cells in it turn ot to be a malignent lesion, the shave biopsy does not allow as definitive determination of how likely  the lesion is to have "spread", and therefore exactly what treatment regimen is appropriate. 

You first need to see your dermatologist to determine if any of your moles have the potential to be worrisome. If they are all considered benign and cosmetic, then shave removal would probably be your best bet. Remember that there will always be a small chance or recurrence. This also generally gives the best cosmetic appearance after removal.

Lasers can be used for mole removal in two ways:  removing the pigment, which still leaves the mole intact and does not reduce the danger of the effect of sun exposure on that mole, and burning the mole off the skin, which would leave an unsightly scar.

In addition, moles partially removed by laser look atypical both clinically and under the microscope, so if a mole needs to be removed later, it would be difficult for a pathologist to tell the difference between a mole that was affected by laser and an abnormal mole.

The question is whether the lesions to which you are referring are moles or freckles or seborrheic keratoses.  Freckles induced by the sun, which just have increased pigment in the epidermis, would do fine with laser treatment.  Seborrheic keratoses are benign skin growths that can be removed in a variety of ways including liquid nitrogen, cauterization and laser.

I recommend that you have an evaluation of these spots by a dermatologist to decide which treatment is best for you.