Using Laser Treatment, Can Flat Facial Moles Be Removed Without Leaving Any Scar on the Face? (photo)

Facial moles can be removed without any perceivable scars in many patients but this depends on many factors such as type and size of mole, location, surgical techniques and the patient's healing ability. Tiny flat black or dark spots less than 1mm can be easily punched out and allowed to heal in. Larger ones can be either electrofulgurated or lasered a few times to lighten them up so they may not be noticeable at all but they will darken up again with a lot of sun exposure or with time. Freezing them is helpful if the doc is very meticulous to the spot only. Any mole that is bumpy can be shaved flat if flesh colored. If it is dark and bumpy, then excising it and closing the site with tiny sutures is good. All these above mentioned methods are done under local anesthesia and is essentially painless. Any mole that is either shaved off or excised should be dermabraded at the same time and if necessary, about 6 weeks later a 2nd time to help the possible scar to become almost imperceivable. Some tiny moles are actually skin tags or DPNs which can be simply snipped off, curretted or burned with no trace of scarring at all. Sincerely,

David Hansen,MD

The trick is to minimize the scar so that it is hardly visible. However, I feel that it is never appropriate to use a laser as your primary treatment for removing a mole. Regardless of how "benign" a mole may appear, a biopsy may still reveal it to be atypical. There are many ways to surgically remove a mole with a minimal scar and have tissue to send for microscopic examination which is the only way to ensure that it was benign. Using a laser to improve the appearance of a mole will alter its look and make it more difficult to observe for precancerous changes in the future. Facial moles with "fairly small bases" can be easily removed using a shave excision technique that typically results in a minimal scar. With this method, the mole is actually shaved off at a very superficial level just below the surface of the skin. The procedure typically takes less than a minute and is painless after a tiny injection to numb the area.