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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your doctor takes a tissue sample of the mole and finds it to be cancerous, the entire mole and a margin of normal tissue around it needs to be removed. Usually a mole that has been removed won't reappear. If it does, see your doctor promptly.
Treatment of most moles usually isn't necessary. For cosmetic reasons, a mole can be removed in several ways:
- Shave excision. In this method, your doctor numbs the area around a mole and then uses a small blade to cut around and beneath the mole. This technique is often used for smaller moles and doesn't require sutures.
- Excisional surgery. In this method, your doctor cuts out the mole and a surrounding margin of healthy skin with a scalpel or a sharp punch device. Sutures are used to close the skin.
These procedures are usually performed in the office of your doctor or dermatologist and take only a short time.
If you have a mole that's unattractive, you may choose to cover it up using makeup designed to conceal blemishes and moles. If you have a hair growing from a mole, it may be possible to clip it close to the skin's surface. Dermatologists also can permanently remove the hair and the mole. If you have a mole in a beard, you may want to have it removed by your doctor because shaving over it repeatedly may cause irritation. You may also want to have moles removed from other parts of your body that are vulnerable to trauma and friction.
Anytime you cut or irritate a mole, be certain to keep the area clean. See your doctor if the mole doesn't heal.
- Moles. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec10/ch127/ch127g.html. Accessed Sept. 4, 2009.
- What you need to know about moles and dysplastic nevi. National Cancer Institute. http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/moles-and-dysplastic-nevi/allpages/print. Accessed Sept. 4, 2009.
- Abbasi NR, et al. Early diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma: Revisiting the ABCD criteria. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2004:292;2771.
- Moles. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_moles.html. Accessed Sept. 4, 2009.
- Grichnik JM, et al. Benign neoplasias and hyperplasias of melanocytes. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2982281. Accessed Sept. 4, 2009.
- Prevention guidelines. The Skin Cancer Foundation. http://www.skincancer.org/prevention-guidelines.html. Accessed Sept. 5, 2009.
