What is Mole Excision

Mole excision is a procedure to remove (excise) a mole from your skin. Most moles are noncancerous (are benign) and do not require treatment. Some moles are larger than usual or look like cancerous moles (atypical moles).

You may have a mole excision if:

• You have an atypical mole that your health care provider thinks should be looked at under a microscope to see if it is cancerous (biopsy).
• You have a mole that is causing pain.
• You have a mole that you want removed because you do not like the way it looks.

Tell a health care provider about:

• Any allergies you have.
• All medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbs, eye drops, creams, and over-the-counter medicines.
• Any problems you or family members have had with anesthetic medicines.
• Any blood disorders you have.
• Any surgeries you have had.
• Any medical conditions you have.
• Whether you are pregnant or may be pregnant.

What are the risks?

Generally, this is a safe procedure. However, problems may occur, including:

• Excessive bleeding.
• Infection.
• Scarring.
• Allergic reactions to medicines.
• Damage to the skin or other tissues around the mole.

What happens before the procedure?

• Ask your health care provider what steps will be taken to help prevent infection. These may include:
  • Removing hair around the mole.
  • Washing skin with germ-killing soap.

What happens during the procedure?

• You will be given a medicine to numb the area (local anesthetic).
• Your health care provider will outline the mole with ink and mark the center with a dot. This will serve as a guide during the procedure.
• Depending on the size of your mole, your health care provider will remove it using:
  • A surgical blade. The mole will be cut out or shaved off (shave excision).
  • A hollow tube with a sharp end (punch device). This may be used for larger moles.
• Your health care provider may use stitches (sutures) to close the wound in the skin where the mole was removed (excision site).
• A bandage (dressing) may be applied over the area.

The procedure may vary among health care providers and hospitals.

What can I expect after procedure?

• Your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood oxygen level will be monitored until you leave the hospital or clinic.
• You may return to your normal activities as told by your health care provider.
• It is up to you to get any test results. If a sample will be tested in a lab, ask your health care provider or the department that is doing the procedure when your results will be ready.
• Talk with your health care provider about what your results mean.
• After the procedure, it is common to have:
  • Mild pain. Your pain may increase as the anesthetic medicine wears off.
  • Mild redness and swelling.

Follow these instructions at home:

Incision care

• Follow instructions from your health care provider about how to take care of your incision. Make sure you:
  • Wash your hands with soap and water before you change your bandage (dressing). If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.
  • Change your dressing as told by your health care provider.
  • Leave stitches (sutures), skin glue, or adhesive strips in place. These skin closures may need to stay in place for 2 weeks or longer. If adhesive strip edges start to loosen and curl up, you may trim the loose edges. Do not remove adhesive strips completely unless your health care provider tells you to do that.
• Check your incision area every day for signs of infection. Check for:
  • More redness, swelling, or pain.
  • Fluid or blood.
  • Warmth
  • Pus or a bad smell.

General instructions

• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.
• Follow instructions from your health care provider about how to minimize scarring. Avoid sun exposure until the area has healed. Scarring should lessen over time.
  • To help prevent scarring, make sure to cover your wound with sunscreen of at least SPF 30 after the wound has healed and all skin closures have been removed or fallen off.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important.

Contact a health care provider if:

• A mole grows back in the same place where a mole had been removed.
• You have a fever.
• You have more redness, swelling, or pain at the incision site.
• You have fluid or blood coming from your incision site.
• Your incision site feels warm to the touch.
• You have pus or a bad smell coming from your incision site.
• Your incision site feels numb for several days after the procedure.

Summary

• Mole excision is a procedure to remove (excise) a mole from your skin.
• You will be given a medicine to numb the area (local anesthetic) during the procedure to remove the mole.
• After the procedure, it is common to have mild pain and redness.
• Wash your hands with soap and water before you change your bandage (dressing). If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.
• Contact your health care provider if you have problems or questions.