What is a mole?
Moles often appear in your childhood or teens and range in color from your natural skin tone to pink, brown or black. People with darker hair or skin tend to have darker moles than people with fairer hair or skin. Moles can be flat or raised from the surface of your skin. Your doctor provider might refer to your mole as a nevus (“nee-vis”) or a group of moles as nevi (“neev-eye”).
It’s normal to have about 10–40 moles by the time you’re an adult. Some moles grow slowly and may lighten or disappear over time. Most moles are harmless, but you should see your doctor if you have any concerns about the appearance of a mole, or if it changes color or shape, becomes itchy or bleeds.
Sometimes, moles are skin cancer or precancerous. If your mole is itchy, bleeds, isn’t round or oval, or you notice changes in its appearance, contact your doctor.
Moles can be removed through various methods including excision / surgical mole removal / Shaving.
laser mole removal
Cryotherapy (freezing the mole with liquid nitrogen).
Most moles don’t require treatment. But you might want to have a mole removed if you’re unhappy with how it looks or feels. Talk with your doctor provider if you’re concerned about a mole. Generally, moles are removed if your provider suspects they might be cancerous or for cosmetic reasons.
Although plastic / cosmetic surgeon providers have used lasers, electric current (cautery) or liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) to remove moles in the past, these techniques aren’t usually recommended. Using these methods means there’s no sample of your mole to study in order to identify what sort of mole it is. Additionally, moles are more likely to come back (recur) following these treatments. Sometimes, benign moles that come back after nonsurgical removal can have features of skin cancer.
After removing your mole, your healthcare provider will apply petroleum jelly (Vaseline®) to the area and cover it with a bandage. You should keep the area moist (with the jelly) for a few days and clean it daily.
The mole removal cost varies according to multiple conditions. Generally, it starts from Rs. 1000/- and can even go up to Rs. 10,000/. The cost will depend upon the size, shape, depth, location of the mole, and the method used.
The main benefit of having a mole removal procedure is that your doctoe can run tests to determine if the mole is skin cancer. If you need treatment for skin cancer beyond mole removal, you’ll be able to start it right away, which may reduce the chances that your cancer will spread (metastasize) to other body parts.
Additionally, many people who have mole removal procedures are happy with how they look after healing.
Can you permanently remove moles?
Most moles removed by dermatologists or best plastic / cosmetic surgeon are permanently removed. But some moles come back (recur). If you have a mole removed and it comes back after healing, contact your healthcare provider.