Mole Removal for Slightly Raised Facial Mole?

Moles, often called "beauty marks" or "birth marks," are pigmented skin growths that may be completely flat or project above the skin surface. Typically, they may range in color through the entire spectrum of browns, from fawn-colored to extremely dark brown. Ocassionally, they may even be blue or nearly black. Removing them for cosmetic purposes, particularly from the face and neck, is a routine, simple, in-office procedure that takes less than five minutes to perform.

Scalpel Sculpting is my favorite method of removal since this technique does not require deep cutting into the skin nor sutures (stitches) to close the wound. The procedure is quite simple. The area directly under the mole is anesthetized locally with a tiny drop of lidocaine and then the surface of the mole is "sculpted" with a scalpel horizontally flush with the skin surface to leave a completely smooth area. The removed tissue is then sent to the laboratory to confirm that it is entirely benign and the "scratch"-like wound is left to heal by itself.

I strongly advise against any removal techniques, such as lasers, cautery, freezing or acids that simply destroy the tissue and do not permit laboratory confirmation that the mole is entirely benign and contains no evidence of malignant melanoma (mole cancer).

Following scalpel sculpting, the normal skin surrounding the wound supplies new cells to cover the surface of the wound, which heals by itself completely in about seven to ten days. During this time, little care is required, except for covering the wound with some ointment and a Bandaid.

Hairs growing out of moles will not be treated by this method, since the cutting is so superficial and the roots of the hairs are so deeply situated within the skin. However, these may be treated by electrolysis of laser hair removal at a later date.

Since scalpel sculpting requires no deep cutting nor the placement of sutures, there is little chance of any scarring and no chance of leaving stitch tracks. Because most moles have some sort of root that is located below the surface, there is a small chance of a recurrence, which can easily be treated in only a matter of moments. Most people are extremely gratified with both the simplicity of the procedure and the cosmetic results.

Mole removal begins with a comprehensive examination and consultation to determine the likelihood of a mole being worrisome. Excisional and incisional biopsies are reserved for suspicious moles. But it’s good news that most moles are not problematic and are only cosmetic, thus leading to the option of scarless or non-surgical mole removal with lasers and RF and plasma. Our office specializes in non-surgical mole removal.

Best,
Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian
Realself 100 Surgeon

Usually I will perform a shave excision followed by low energy cautery. This typically results in no scarring, with a small chance of recurrence. Any time the skin is incised there is a small risk if getting a bad scar. The risks in your particular case would be assessed by your doctor.