Why don't more dermatologists and facial plastic surgeons offer Ellman radio frequency mole removal?

Question

I am curious why so few providers offer the Ellman radio frequency mole removal. It appears to be less invasive, with faster recovery and less chance of scarring in many instances for many different types of lesions. If removed by a scalpel first, the mole can be biopsied as well. It also appears to be far more common in Europe. It appears like a great option for raised moles. Why do plastic surgeons and dermatologists choose excision/shave method instead? Is there a safety issue?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Its much harder to do this for most poeple and doing a simple shave with cautery or laser gives same results with less downtime.  I used to do it all the time, but stopped years ago for some reason. I like to pretreat the skin with vivatia foam or cosmelan 2 cream and is clinical pro heal (see link to emeragecosmetics.com).  Best, Dr. Emer.

Richard Ort, MD · Answer

We offer this service in the Denver area. The key is to be conservative when using the Ellman to avoid going too deep and leaving a depressed scar. I do gentle passes to flatten the mole layer by layer. The Ellman typically leaves minimal heat injury. This results in excellent would healing and minimal scar. As you mentioned, I often will shave off the top part of the mole first and send that to the lab.Regards,Dr. Ort

Why don't more dermatologists and facial plastic surgeons offer Ellman radio frequency mole removal?

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Why don't more dermatologists and facial plastic surgeons offer Ellman radio frequency mole removal?

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