Mole Removal: What to Expect

My mother's side of the family is... blessed, shall we say... with moles. Everyone's got them somewhere, and many of my relatives have them on their faces. They tend to get flat moles which look more like big freckles, rather than the witchy type with the big hair sticking out. My father's side of the family is totally mole free and I'm quite grateful that I take after him in that respect. Well, mostly. I do have a couple of tiny flat moles on my torso and they're not worth mentioning since they look like freckles. What is worth mentioning, are the 3 moles I've already had removed and my experiences in all 3 cases -- one was done at a dermatologist's office and the other two I did myself. Read on if you'd like to know more.

Visiting the doctor

Or should I say, visiting the dermatologist? This is a simple outpatient procedure that takes about 5 minutes to do, so don't expect a lot of attention from your doctor or the nurse. I'm not saying dermatologists aren't clever (after all, they do deal with serious issues like skin cancer on a daily basis) but cutting your mole off doesn't take a lot of skill, as you're about to see.

Getting numbed up

Once you're there they'll numb the area up with an injection. It only stings for a moment and then a few minutes later you're ready to be sliced and diced and you won't feel a thing.

Cutting the bugger off

Mine was a pretty big mole on the side of my waist. It was about the size of an engorged tick, which often prompted people to freak out and tell me that I'd better hurry and get the bloodsucker off me. Alas, it was just a big fat ugly mole and it was time to come off. And off it came, in about 5 seconds. Scalpel, slice, no more mole.

Bandaiding it up

There was barely any blood and I didn't even get a gauze pad. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that I could have asked for one of the Sesame Street bandaids if I'd wanted to. A little disinfection, a bandaid and I was all done.

Aftercare

My mole was a big sucker, like I said, and it ran quite deep. It looked like a small crater. But it healed quite fast and closed up without incident. It was dark pink for a time but it's been about 10 years now and I can't see it unless I really point it out to you. I'd imagine that by the time I'm old and wrinkled you won't be able to see it even if I do that. The scar itself is very irregular and not the slightest bit attractive in terms of cosmetic surgery. That's because it was sliced off without ceremony and it looked like it. I could have done a better job myself. Which brings me to the next point.

Removing moles by yourself

There are creams and such available for home mole removal. Some of them are expensive but they get very good reviews so I expect that some people have very good results with them. If you do try a doctor, be sure to get one with some cosmetic skill, especially if you're going to have a mole removed from a sensitive area like your face.