Anyone ever had a mole removed?

blueboxgeek
blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
in Chit-Chat
I'm considering getting one removed but want to find out what people's experiences are.

Did it leave much of a scar? Where was it on you? What procedure did you have to remove it? And also, are you happy with the result?

The one I have is on my face. It's not massive, probably only about half a centimeter across. It's a light brown one so possibly not mega noticable. But it is slightly raised and I think it might be becoming more raised, I just seem to notice it more and more on photos than I used to.

I think a small little scar would be less noticable but I am just worried in case I end up with a nasty scar. I seem to heal ok, I had a c-section and my scar from that healed well and is just a tidy thin line, but I had the top consultant at my hospital do that (just by fluke I hadn't arranged it lol) so that could be more the reason?

Would love to hear from people who have had the procedure done.

Replies

  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,787 Member
    Yup, I've had three taken off my face. As they were perfectly healthy my dermatologist just lasered them off rather than cutting them out - upside, no scarring, downside, there is a possibility they'll grow back.

    The one I went in about originally is half on my lip and cutting it out could ruin the shape of my lip, which is why we went down the laser route - he did the other two basically free of charge as my insurer was paying over $1000 for his time and surgery fees and each mole takes about 30 seconds to remove.

    Definitely do it - they only keep growing as you age. But talk to your doctor about your different options.
  • VeganLexi
    VeganLexi Posts: 960 Member
    Yep, I had a mole on my chest, just under my collarbone. I was living in China at the time, I noticed that it had gone crusty.
    I went to the doctor and he said "it might be cancer"...I freaked out!
    He took the mole away by giving me local anesthetic, he removed it with a scalpel, I didn't feel a thing.
    It wasn't cancerous!

    With regard to the result, the scar is pretty faint (I had it in 2007 ish) I'm happy purely because I didn't have cancer.
    I'm not bothered about scars, if it is changing colour/shape/diameter you should see your doctor immediately.
    Good luck!
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
    I had one taken off my forearm that I grew in Australia, it wasn't a danger mole but I'm glad I had it taken off even though it was over a birthmark so the scar looks worse/ more conspicuous than it would over 'normal' skin. The actual procedure was almost exactly like a hole-punch and then they threw in a stitch.
  • Dory_42
    Dory_42 Posts: 3,588 Member
    I have had various ones removed as a child, so all about 20 years ago. I had some cut out of my face and the small scar is hard to see even if you know it is there. Medical science has progressed so you may have other options now which will leave even less of a scar.
  • mokoko123
    mokoko123 Posts: 77 Member
    I work for a Dermatologist and we remove stuff from people all the time. You will be trading that for a scar about the size of the mole (and it depends on how they remove it) Some things have to be "punched" out and stitched up, while other things can be "shaved" off. There's always a risk that it will scar bad or come back - and it can grow back looking strange too. You have to decide if it bothers you that much and it's worth the risk - or if it's growing, the Dr. may want to remove it to make sure it isn't something to be worried about.
  • curvykatie
    curvykatie Posts: 870 Member
    Yes, mine was just under my right boob :p It only took about 10mins (they just cut it out then stitched up the hole) and the most painful bit was getting the anaesthetic. I do have a little scar from it (from the stitches more than the mole) it looks like a join-the-dots of a star :)
  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
    Thanks for the replies everyone. Think I will look up a few places and get some info from them.
  • sstan03
    sstan03 Posts: 102
    I had one removed as well. it was on my lower back so i do not know if i have a scar from it or not. What i remember though, it really did not hurt and was done and over quite quickly.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    Lol, I had a small one on my palm and took it out with a knife. The hole is still there where I did it.

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  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I've had 10 removed. Some have left nasty scars but they were "bad" ones that had to be cut completely out (along with a bunch of surrounding skin) instead of scrapped off. One required like 7 stitches to close up.

    I've never had any on my face removed. I know they are a lot more careful with faces even having plastic surgeons do it. I have a pretty big one on my face but it's part of "me". I know I'm not Cindy Crawford or Marylin Monroe, but a little "beauty mark" is still okay.
  • sunshinefunk
    sunshinefunk Posts: 9 Member
    I just had one removed this summer on my stomach. It left a good size scar (about an inch) but they had to make sure they got it all because it was cancerous. The scar is much better than melanoma!
  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
    PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot Posts: 596 Member
    I had one taken off the small of my back. Couldn't tell you if it left a scar. Turns out it was atypical (moderate dysplasia) so I'm not losing any sleep about it being gone.
  • 5ftnFun
    5ftnFun Posts: 948 Member
    I had 2 off my back, medium size. It took only a few minutes and was not painful. A little sting, a bandaid for a few days, no scar.
    I hated feeling them against my tops, and I didn't like that they were visible when I wore form fitting tops. So glad they are gone!
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    I had one removed on the bridge of my nose. It started growing.........the ****er had its own atmosphere, it had grown so big, LOL!!!

    No scar.........cant tell. It fell off - literally. Had to use a small bandaid for 2 days but it was no big deal. Good luck :smile:
  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
    One on my forhead and it left no scare.
  • LumpySpacePrincess1
    LumpySpacePrincess1 Posts: 388 Member
    One off my chest. But mine was considered to be potentially cancerous (despite being SO small) so they had to do a biopsy.
    Meaning they cut a massive chunk out my chest to ensure it didn't regrow :noway:
    So...definite scar. But I prefer scars to moles.
    Hate moles! Eww!
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
    I had two close together removed on my right arm that took 6 stitches to close up. It left a TERRIBLE scar called a keloid. I had friends who teased me and said I had a hemorhoid. :tongue: It did eventually fade so that it's no longer raised, but it's still a pretty significant scar just for having two moles removed. I'm not sure what caused it, but when I went back to my doctor for the check-up, she was shocked and said to never allow anyone to cut into me again without telling them about the reaction I had.

    ETA picture. This is almost exactly what mine looked like and looks like now, except mine was/is a little wider and not as long:
    Keloid-Caesar-Treatment-300x192.jpg

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