facial mole removal

shoegal27

sunglass addict
Sep 9, 2007
3,531
6
I am extremely nervous about an upcoming appointment that I have with a plastic surgeon who will be removing two moles that I have on my face. They are both small but they are raised and I want them off. When I went for my consultation, he recommended that I have them cut out, which whould then be stitched up with approximately 4 stitches. I asked about the shave method, which he then said he did not really recommend due to the fact that they can grow back that way or can cause results that aren't as satisfying as the cut out way. I now have a couple of weeks to make my final decison, and I am terrified. I have reached out to a couple of people with this matter, but I am looking for anyone who has had one or the other procedures done, to help me make my decision. I am just worried about having a bad scar from the stitches. Any input will help. Thanks in advance. :confused1::confused1::confused1:
 
I had a small raised mole removed from my face a few months ago and my PS did the same thing that yours is going to do. He completely cut it out and did not shave it because they will grow back. I had about 4-5 stitches in it and kept it covered with steri strips for about a week. After that I did not have to wear the strips, but when my face had no make up on, you could still see the scar. When I say you could see it though, it was teeny tiny. It has been a few months now and I have a VERY faint scar. With make up on it is completely unnoticable and without makeup it is pretty much invisible except to ME because I am a complete freak when it comes to anything with my face :nuts:

I say go for it because if the moles bother you, they are always more noticable than the teeny tiny faint line that the removal leaves you with and even that will be gone in just a few months if not sooner.

If you are going to a very reputable PS, have faith, you will be just fine!
 
Thank you so much. I am leaning more towards the cut out way now. I changed my mind daily but the more I speak to people the more I relize this way is best. What can I expect to look like coming home that day or the days to come? I am a fanatic like you with the skin on my face, and am very nervous as you can tell. My PS is very reprutable I trust him, I really do, but its just me with the issues with my skin, considering that its on the face.

Can you also talk to me about the lidocane injection before hand. Is that terrible painful. I hear it stings really bad and feels like fire??? Is that true?
 
I had 2 removed by the shave method, and they were back in 4 years. They were also really slow to heal and still left scars.

Do the procedure with a plastic surgeon, as opposed to the dermatologist. Stay out of the sun for a long time before, and after.

The shot does not hurt, just an irritating sting.
 
This was helpful. I am definitly leaning towards just getting them cut out and gone without the worry of wondering if they will return. I am getting this done over the holidays and am wondering how long the stitches remain in? Don't want to go back to work looking like bandage girl.
 
Can you also talk to me about the lidocane injection before hand. Is that terrible painful. I hear it stings really bad and feels like fire??? Is that true?

The lidocaine is not that bad.....if you have someone to drive you home the PS will give you a Valium (I opted out of that tho) to ease your nerves. The injection is no worse than what you get at the dentist office for a cavity. It really does not hurt enough to be scared of at all. The only wierd part is that your face is numb yet you can feel this creepy pulling on your face when they pull at it to cut it out ewwwwww. I hope I am not freaking you out more! Really tho, the whole situation is not bad at all and definitely nothing to fear.

The steri strips I had for the stiches were flesh colored and I cut them down to a small size, like 3/4" x 3/4" so it was not totally in your face noticable for the week I had them on. I felt very self concious about the strips though, but it is only a week, and your moles would be there your whole life! I also am totally phobic about stuff on my face so we are probably the same as being over melodramatic about if people notice. No one at my work even noticed or said anything until I brought it up. I just told them I had a mole removed and no one cares....really. I just was paranoid and thought they did.

So r e l a x and go for it if it will make you happier in the long run. Obviously they bother you enough to get a consult. The whole experience is cake, don't worry!:flowers:
 
I had 2 removed by the shave method, and they were back in 4 years. They were also really slow to heal and still left scars.

Do the procedure with a plastic surgeon, as opposed to the dermatologist. Stay out of the sun for a long time before, and after.

The shot does not hurt, just an irritating sting.

Great, now I'm paranoid that my mole will grow back! :sad: :sweatdrop: I actually had a very large, raised mole and I did it through the shave method. This was done by a dermatologist, but I think that the cut out method would work well because the surgeon will be able to take out the cell "roots" that are underneath the skin that causes the moles...making them impossible to grow back. Also, since you are dealing with a plastic surgeon, you shouldn't worry about scarring too much. Just as the other Pfers said, stay out of the sun and moisturize your scar regularly...

The shave method can be effective only if you don't have the cell roots or pigment underneath the mole. This is sometimes difficult to tell because the mole pigment is too dark to see...I'm just crossing my fingers that nothing will grow back, otherwise I'm off to a plastic surgeon this time!

BTW...it's not as bad as you think! Relax!!! We all made it out just fine. :yes:
 
thanks.. I will try and remember all of your words, and think positive....
I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.... can you all come with me and hold my hand.. LOL...
 
I had a mole removed when I was 8 or 9. It keep growing and growing. So my mom said the cut out method would be the best. I'm 24 now and it has not come back. I still have a faint scar, but I had about 9 stitches in mine. (it was a HUGE mole) The scar doesn't bother me at all and it's easily covered by make-up. So I would recommend the cut out method. Good luck and try to relax when you go! :flowers:
 
I've consulted a plastic surgeon about this too. Scarring depends on the type of skin you have! If you have eurasian, asian or mediterranean/hispanic skin, you are at risk of keloid scars, which are those raised, purple scars. If you wear the steri-strips religiously, this should be minimal, although sometimes the scars may have a faint bluish/purplish tinge to them if you're freezing cold.

One of my friends had a few moles cut off her face - she had about 4 stiches in each wound and wore the silicon strips for about 6 weeks. I know this sounds like a long time, but now, no one even remembers it - it's like having braces! She did the same thing as kristie and cut them down to tiny patches.
Now, I never even notice the scars (apparently she has a very faint shiny scar), but I have never noticed!
 
Oh, I forgot to add:

Another thing you should ask your PS about is whether your mole has a root. Aparently, some moles have roots that grow out to the side, under the skin. So when they're cut out, the root needs to be cut out as well, which can result in a comma-shaped scar...
 
Thanks again all. I feel a lot better now after reading your posts. I may print them out and read them the day I go. I am a big baby as you can see. But, when things are on your face, the thing people see first, you can tend to get a bit paranoid. My skin heals well. I rarely get pimples but when I have in the past, no matter how big or little they were or how bad they got, they always healed very nicely.
 
shoegal27 I know exactly how you feel I have a mole on my face too, on my chin, that is raised, some people say its cute, some say remove it as it may get cancerous, I'm freaked out. I'm sending you a big hug because I think you are brave to do anything. Don't know what to do about mine and still avoid thinking about it.
 
I had a small mole removed from my face around 18 yrs ago. It was located on the upper right side of my lips. I had it completely removed with just 3-4 stitches and it didn't hurt at all. The scar is still there, but very faint and barely visible and it's really small, I don't mind this at all. What made me decide to have it removed is because I was afraid it will grow bigger/cancerous. At that time, my doctor didn't tell me about any other method, so I never heard about the shave method. I suppose this method only removed the outer part and the roots are still there? It's not very effective then, coz it will comeback sooner or later.
shoegal, you can do it, don't be afraid, it's a very minor procedure. Once the doctor gave you the shot, the area will be numb, you won't feel anything.
 
I had one removed (cut, like the procedure you consulted for) from directly under my left eye a couple of years ago. There is NO scar at all. It was kind of scary watching that big needle come towards my eye but it was over in about 15 seconds after the area was numbed and didn't hurt at all. I had other moles removed at the same time and one of them does have a scar where I scratched at it in my sleep. :sad: Unlike you, I scar very easily. So whatever you do, don't irritate the stitches or wound and it will heal beautifully. Just stay calm and remember to take long, slow, deep breaths during the procedure and you'll be fine! :okay: