Mole Removal?

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  • mrstword
    mrstword Posts: 20
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    I had one removed in the back of my head. The numbing shot stung a little bit but then I felt nothing while my doctor was taking it off. It's really not that bad. A paper cut hurts worse. :)
  • Samerah12
    Samerah12 Posts: 610 Member
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    I just had a whole bunch hacked off! Not bad at all pain-wise. Half of them were on my face so I was preparing for the worst AND I have a high pain tolerance so not sure how applicable my opinion will be to your situation. BUT the only part that hurt was the numbing shots. Pretty much just the first shot on each mole hurt (similar to Novocaine at the dentist) and then I didn't feel a thing while they were removed (just a light tugging feeling) and almost no pain at all while they healed.
  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
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    I've had 18 removed with 5 more being taken off soon (long story short, MAJOR needle phobia, have to be put to sleep to remove or biopsy so every time I have a questionable mole they put me to sleep and remove the 5 most worrisome). Two of them were cancerous, one on the back of my heel and one on the back of my ankle. The pain after removal isn't bad unless the mole is in a difficult to avoid place. The worst for me was on the bottom of my foot. Usually unless they have to go really deep to get it all they don't use stitches. You'll be fine. It's better to get it done than deal with the consequences.
  • PeaceLoveVeggies
    PeaceLoveVeggies Posts: 682 Member
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    Ha! I have 30+ moles on my entire body...and they are staying there! :noway:

    HA.......bet that yours aren't as big as the one on my head.......if only I knew how to post pics from my phone directly to the site.......

    Bet you're overreacting. Embrace it.
  • nikkilou1978
    nikkilou1978 Posts: 146 Member
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    I worked for a Dermatologist for a few years. We did mole removals daily. The area is numbed with lidocaine using a 31 gauge needle, which is the same as a diabetic would use, it's very tiny. And they only use enough lido to numb just the area around the mole. Typically depending on the type of mole it is, it may be removed with a paper thin razor blade (just shaved off), If it is larger and has roots they may use a device that takes a little plug out, in that case you will get a couple of stitches. It really isn't that bad, no worse than cutting your finger. And they are not going to shave your head.

    Oh and they typically charge the same amount to remove 1 or 15 or more. So if you have others, see if you can have them all done at the same time.
  • Pattinan
    Pattinan Posts: 42 Member
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    Get it removed!!! A biopsie let me know I had late stage melanoma 3 yrs ago...SOOOO important. Take care of it..and wear sunscreen!!!
  • Heidi_M78
    Heidi_M78 Posts: 143 Member
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    If you have a clean living lifestyle then the local could make you feel slightly dizzy.
    lol t happened to me
  • KJVBear33
    KJVBear33 Posts: 628
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    Ha! I have 30+ moles on my entire body...and they are staying there! :noway:

    HA.......bet that yours aren't as big as the one on my head.......if only I knew how to post pics from my phone directly to the site.......

    Bet you're overreacting. Embrace it.

    Ahh, I am sure that I am.........I REALLY don't like painful stuff like this..........I will do anything and everything to avoid pain to be perfectly honest..........even the tiniest bit. Tetnus shots aren't too bad if you get someone who really knows how to do them.......you get the wrong kind of person who is a novice or not that skilled and its downright painful........I can't even imagine a shot on the head if the shoulder extremely hurts when done incorrectly!!
  • DaniellePF
    DaniellePF Posts: 308 Member
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    Okay I am telling you this to help you, but its typically information I keep to myself. That said--I had to get a mole removed that was on my *kitten* while I was 7 months pregnant.:blushing: I has to sit on a doughnut at work and my husband had to clean and change the dressing. Humbling to say the least. :wink: The shot to numb it feels like a pinch and then you don't feel anything. If doc is skilled it will take no time at all.

    I told you that story so you won't feel bad about getting one on your head removed :-) You will be fine, its not a big deal! :flowerforyou:
  • Pattinan
    Pattinan Posts: 42 Member
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    To answer your question..it is not a real painful process. The numbing shot smarts a bit I have biopsies done 3x a year. If it has bad cells you will go back for an excision or Mohs surgery if needed. Those require stitches. Time heals it up.
  • LauRoxx
    LauRoxx Posts: 115 Member
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    I had one removed from my shoulder about 5 years back. it was quick, painless. Only sucked having to put so much sunscreen on the spot for the next year after.
  • SnakeDarling
    SnakeDarling Posts: 352 Member
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    I've had two done, both on my neck.

    There is absolutely no pain, and the meds don't make you feel weird at all!

    But I did take a nap when I got home.
  • wildcat808
    wildcat808 Posts: 140 Member
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    no. it doesn't hurt. you might feel a slight sting when they numb it, but that's it. my body is weird when it comes to anesthesia and i tend to need more than most. so i would begin to feel the blade, say something and then the doctor would just inject me with more! unlike the dentist, though, you don't have a million things in your mouth so it's easy to say something and avoid the pain!!
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
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    I've had two (both about the diameter of a pencil eraser) removed from my face, and neither one hurt a bit. The Dr. numbs up the mole area with a little tiny needle (about as wide as a thin thread or a thick hair).

    And it's just the mole area that gets numbed. When I had a mole removed from the cheekbone right under my eye, the appt was during my lunch break and I went back to work looking about the same as I'd left - no eye-drooping or anything like that. All I had to show that I'd had Dermatology for lunch was a little 1" circular band-aid over the spot.

    Can you cover your mole with a US Nickel? If so, it's smaller than the one I had taken off my leg - and that one didn't hurt either. And when they were taking the one off my back, I nearly fell asleep while they were working - I was that comfortable (and bored).

    If they need to shave that area around the mole, they'll probably be careful to take as little hair as possible and make sure the rest of your hair will cover it up (if for some reason they aren't, ask them to be). And, depending on how deep the mole goes, removing the mole may not remove the hair follicles underneath it, so your hair may just grow right back in. (That annoying hair growing out of that mole under my chin sure did.)

    For needle-stick pain, try exhaling so that you're breathing out just as the needle is going in. Don't know why this works, but it sure seems to.

    Fear of pain (or whatever) is often worse than the pain (or whatever) itself. Call the doc, schedule the appt., & get it done; and then you'll barely have time to wonder what you were so concerned about before you're back to the rest of your life. :happy:
  • KJVBear33
    KJVBear33 Posts: 628
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    Thanks Evelyn........much appreciated......... :)
  • mousecat84
    mousecat84 Posts: 81
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    Thank you do much to everyone who shared! I've been putting it off for too long :/ it's taken my impending wedding to do something about two on my back... A couple of questions though if you don't mind?

    How common is scarring? My friend who had one removed on her back and its very obvious, as in you can see a long (about 2cm) scar and several small dots on either side where the stitches were.

    And secondly, how long do they usually take to heal?

    Thank you in advance to those who can answer! :D
  • Waterlooont
    Waterlooont Posts: 2 Member
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    do not worry! I've had growths removed on my head for biopsies. Is it on your face or on your scalp? Either way, the only thing you will feel is a bit of a sting when the needle goes in for freezing. This will only take a second. A good surgeon will only leave a small scar which will almost disappear in time and can also be covered by makeup. Be brave and go ahead and get it done.
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
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    How common is scarring? My friend who had one removed on her back and its very obvious, as in you can see a long (about 2cm) scar and several small dots on either side where the stitches were.

    And secondly, how long do they usually take to heal?
    Both scarring & healing time depend on where the mole is, and how big and deep it is.

    The face is the part of the body that heals fastest. With my facial moles, I wore the little circular band-aids for a week or so, then had little (1/4") pink marks that faded into skin-color marks with a few weeks. After a few months, I couldn't find the scars when I looked in the mirror.

    The one on my back took about two weeks until the band-aid could be left off. It was at my waist - if your moles are higher up your back (i.e., closer to your face) they will heal more quickly than mine did.

    The one on my leg took a few weeks before I could leave the bandage off. It was on my calf (a long way from my face) and it was big - larger than a nickel, but smaller than a quarter. 25 years later, the scar is not really noticeable - it's the same color as the adjoining skin, and about the size of a Ricola cough drop.

    Scarring also depend on how carefully the surgeon closes the skin and how clean you keep the site afterwards. If you're going to be wearing a backless dress at your wedding in a few months, tell the doctor that and ask him to do as much as he can to minimize scarring,

    And I can't help adding: *If In Doubt, Get It Biopsied.*
    (The skin you save may be your own.)
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    I want to get a mole removed. I have one on my nose... Right now everyone calls it cute...but I don't want to be a 50 something woman with an ugly mole on my nose.

    I am scared it will hurt too...but now that I have read some of the previous posts I feel more comfortable about finally going through with it.
  • mrsgoodwine
    mrsgoodwine Posts: 468 Member
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    I just had a mole removed from my face (and I've had a few others removed in the past). Yes, they will give you a shot and yes it will sting for a few seconds - but once it took affect I did not feel a thing. Just take a deep breath and relax if you can.

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