Mole Removal

Mole removal is usually a straightforward procedure.

First, your surgeon will prepare the area and give you local pain-relieving medication. The area is measured, mapped, and sometimes photographed before your surgeon does the actual removal.

Your surgeon will clean the surface of your skin, usually with an alcohol pad, and inject the area with local anaesthetic. After that, the anaesthetic should kick in, and your mole plus the surrounding area should be numb.

Usually an instrument like a scalpel will be used to remove the actual mole and surrounding tissue if necessary.

The procedure itself can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the size of the mole and the depth to which your surgeon needs to cut. If you had to have a deeper cut, you’ll probably need stitches once the mole has been excised.

Recovery

As with any procedure, the recovery time for mole removal varies. You should feel back to normal within days to weeks, depending on whether or not you had to have stitches.

When it comes to overall healing time, you’re looking at anywhere from a few days to a few weeks based on how big the mole was and how deep your doctor had to cut. If you had stitches put in, they’ll usually come out in two weeks.

You shouldn’t experience any severe pain as the area heals, but you might have some soreness or itching. You should keep the area as clean as possible. For patients without stitches, clean and pat dry daily then apply a thick ointment like petroleum jelly or an anti-bacterial cream before putting on a fresh adhesive bandage.

If you had stitches, your surgeon will recommend that for a few days you keep the area as dry as possible and avoid doing any heavy exercise.

If you had a pretty quick and easy removal, you should be fine to return to any usual habits like exercise, over the next day few days or so. You are likely to have some scarring following mole removal.