Mole removal?
 

I've been thinking about having a few moles removed, my only worries are that I may be overwhelmingly sexy, or that it costs me too much. So anybody have this done? What do they do? Does it hurt? How much does this run?

had a couple taken off my cheek (more medical than cosmetic). it's nothing, in and out. it was kinda weird with a local anaesthetic cause you can feel your face being tugged and the skin letting loose...but other than that...no pain (other than the initial needle).

i can't say it's helped my social life in the least (just as pathetic now as it always was...) but at least i don't have to worry if they're going to turn into something worse.

if you're worried about pain, don't cause it's nothing.

Does it leave a small scar?

I had a mole removed from my neck when I was about 13 because the dermatologist thought it could potentially become a problem, but it wasn't at the time.

At any rate, it didn't hurt AT ALL, seriously. And I didn't have any soreness that I can recall. As far as cost, my parents insurance covered it at the time since it was a medical (not cosmetic) procedure. So if I were you, I would look into your insurance coverage and get a price quote from a reputable dermatologist in your area.

As far as scarring goes, there will be a slight scar for several months but over time it will fade away. I can't even see the spot now where they did the surgery. Good luck, Jeff!

Doesn't hurt. Had one taken off my back. The dermatologist sucked though and left a big scar. He was a real old school guy who was never worried about how things looked. Just get it outta there.

If the mole is in a visible place, I'd find a doctor who has good recommendations. As for Plummie's, anything you have done as a kid heals way better.

One way or another, put lots of Vitamin E cream/aloe on the wound and it will heal with much less of a mark.

It won't hurt much beyond the initial needle pricks, but I think the scarring depends on the size of your mole. I got a big one taken off of my leg a few months ago and there is still a big scar (1/2 inch)

I've been thinking of having it done, thanks for the info it really helped out.

i have two small scars on my face from mine being removed, but they're apparently not that noticeable. i see them because i know that they're there, but i haven't had many people say anything (maybe they're just being polite?)...

I also have a couple I'm interested in removing, thanks for the info.

just get a good dermatologist remove them.. My sister had one removed and it took forever to heal and left a nasty scar on her shoulder..

she changed dermatologists, had another removed and you can't even see the scar unless you are looking for it, and it healed within a week.

I'm again reconsidering this. These old replies weren't very encouraging. Hopefully some new members have joined that have experience. Gimme your thoughts.

What do they do: They put me to sleep, so I couldn't tell what they was going on
Does it hurt: I was too asleep to tell
How much does this run: Not too sure.

^ Sorry for giving sucky answers up there.This was done when I was 3. Like justadude this was done for medical reasons not, cosmetic. The scar is now nearly invisible. This was done on my nose, so part of it is hidden in the crease around my nostril, but you really couldn't see it unless you were looking for it from a short distance.

Having very fair skin, and a misspent youth of spending time in the sun with a bottle of baby oil... I am very wary of moles. I get them every so often, and have them removed pretty quickly... It's a painless procedure, they do it with a local anesthetic, it leaves no scar after a few months, and it's covered under my insurance, but it's in in office procedure so i can't imagine it'd be that expensive,a nd I don't need special permission from my insurance company to have it done.

There is a thread on 'Mole Removal' in Tilted How-To:

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=85747

Good Luck!

Wow, I'm certainly glad that thread's talking about an entirely different kind of mole.

hahahahahah!

Go to a good dermatologist! If you're having it done for cosmetic reasons, call up oh... five or ten different dermatologists in your area, ask them how many mole removals have they done, do they have any previous patients you can talk to/see. Don't trust any before/after photos they show you- those can be doctored. A good doctore will be happy to put you in touch with old clients- have the old clients show you their scars/ask how things were done (do this out of earshot of the doctor).

You're giving someone else money, therefore you reserve the right to question the service you are potentially getting! Good luck!

Doh! *slaps forehead* Holy Moley!!

I am an idiot!! That's what you get when you don't read carefully and "skim/scan" the posts.

Although reading through both threads, I can see how the responses could almost apply to either thread. At the very least, there's a MadLibs effect *groan*

Moley Moley!

be careful how you talk about the mole you want removed. if its cosmetic insurance will not cover it.
if you have a cool dr like i did, i couldnt remember why i had the second one removed and he said well to figure out a reason because otherwise i would have to pay for the whole thing , something like 800 + 200more for evaluation to see if it was cancerous or not.
my first one was real close to my belly button and it was a pain for a couple weeks cause i couldnt really bend over much. its been about 2 months and there is hardly a scar

it depends on how the mole is formed really.. if its pretty spread out with a wide, slowly fading base,then your pretty sure to have a scar, if there is a clear line between mole, and surrounding skin. then you shouldn't really have a problem.
your dermatologist, depending on his/her skill and experience, will be able to tell you if there is going to be a scar, and if their good, can minimize the scaring if there will be any at all.

i'd suggest asking around to see if anybody local to you can recommend anyone. if not then try asking at your local hospital, the doctors and nurses there will almost certainly know the local doctors, and their work.

I had two moles removed about 4 months ago. Didn't hurt anything other than my bank account. Two office visits and two moles removed = $400.

My sister had two moles on her face removed about 15 years ago... she still has small scars, but that's just because our skin scars very easily. This won't help you any because I doubt you'll be able to find a reliable ancient Chinese medicine practitioner, but a family friend had one removed this way once - the guy just dropped some unidentifiable liquid on it, waited a minute or so, dropped some other liquid on it and then wiped it away with a cloth a few seconds later. Or something like that. :hmm:

I've had moles removed, but NEVER have worried about being ''overwhelmingly sexy"....

That might just be a problem particular to me. I'm already dangerously sexy, I just don't want that to become too much for people to handle.

Is that similar to being dangerously cheesy, ala Cheetos?? :lol:

When everyone is talking about moles...that's not including skin tags, right?

What is a skin tag? Do you mean a birth mark?

Speaking of birth marks, I either don't have one, or it's in my rectum :eek: :lol:

I've had a few removed, because I was worried they might be evil cancer stuff. It runs in the family, so I have to watch out you know! The only pain is from the anasthetic needle, and since they don't cut very deep the scarring is minimal. I had mine removed by my "regular" doctor, not a specialist, but if they are in the face a specialist should probably do it.

I had one in a more intimate area - the needle with the anesthetic KILLED, but I felt nothing after that. She removed it cause she "didn't like the way it looked". ?? (Fair Irish lass, lots of family skin cancer history.) I think the needle hurts more or less depending on location... but be a toughie, just get it over with. You can deal with over-sexiness later. :)
I asked my dermo about removing a skin tag (fyi, they often appear in places like armpits or backs, just a random skin-colored little thing. mine is harmless but annoying when I shave.) from my pit, but he said it's not insurance-covered since it's not dangerous, so it would have been $80. I decided to live with it, it's tiny.

Blech. Thanks Jess. Mine are annoying too...but it's because they are on my shoulder and my son pulls on them and it hurts like hell.

A skin tag is a blob of skin basically. They tend to form on areas where skin rubs together, like armpits, the neck, etc. and often tend to develop during weight gain, which is when I got mine...during my pregnancy. You probably have had one but may not have noticed.

Hmmm, I just checked my entire body, and I don't have any right now.. Do they come and go or do you have to get them hacked off? I asked my roommates, and they have never heard of a skin tag either..

Interesting the stuff you learn on the internet.

I've have several removed. They did a cone biopsy though with them instead of just slicing them off at the surface. If you don't have any concern of skin cancer then you could just have them slice it off. In that case the scarring and such is much less. With the cone biopsies, I had one removed that was in an area of looser skin and not too big around. It only took about 4 stitches and the scar is practically invisible. I can see it cause I know it's there is all. Another one was in the middle of my back where the skin was tight. That one was also a larger cone taken out and required almost 10 stitches. The bandage that the Dr put over it had latex in it and that's when we first discovered my latex allergy. The rash irritated the incision and when he removed the stitches - shortly after - the cut reopened completely because it had been irritated and the skin was tight and pulled it open. Now it's a big scar about the length of my thumb and about an inch wide.

Basically - it all depends on the size of the mole and the type of removal. My scars aren't really too bad except for the one that I had complications with.

You had a mole removed that needed 10 stitches? :eek:

How big was the mole? They put one stitch in for the mole on my back, and I thought that mole was large. It had a slightly smaller circumference than a pencil.

Sometimes they will be rubbed off just by day to day activity....and you probably wouldn't even feel it...or maybe just a slight pinch.

It was almost as big as my thumbnail. It was malignant but fortunately hadn't grown roots to new moles yet. Also I think they had to put the stitches quite close together because it was in tight skin that would have pulled it all apart otherwise.