Should I remove the mole?

If a mole grows to a perfect size, it will have a good effect on the overall appearance, but sometimes it can also cause trouble. The chances of a mole becoming malignant are still very small, but if the skin is fair and is often exposed to the sun, the chances of the mole becoming malignant are increased. Moles that are too large. Sometimes the size of a mole can indicate whether it will cause trouble in the future. So let’s find out whether or not moles should be removed.

Mole, medically known as nevus cell or melanocytic nevus, is a skin manifestation caused by an increase in melanocytes in the epidermis and dermis. Mole removal is a method of removing moles through medical equipment and technology to achieve the purpose of beautiful skin. Skin pigmented nevi are often pathologically divided into three categories according to the layer of nevus cells in the skin: junctional nevus, intradermal nevus, and mixed nevus. In addition, it is divided into giant nevus, blue nevus, etc. according to its clinical characteristics. The exact nature and type of the mole is ultimately diagnosed by tissue biopsy. You should be more careful with black hairy moles located on parts of the body that are prone to friction or injury, and be careful not to let them ruin your appearance.

1. Indications

Treatment of various pigmented moles on the body and face, such as Nevus of Ota, is as follows:

1. Those who are initially identified as junctional nevi or have prodromal symptoms of malignant transformation, such as color change, expansion of lesion area, bleeding and inflammatory changes, etc.;

2. Those with a large area, rough surface, nodules, long hair, etc. that affect the appearance.

2. Preoperative Preparation

1. The most important thing before mole removal surgery is to understand your skin constitution through examination, if you have scarred skin or sensitive skin.

2. For female friends, be sure to avoid the menstrual period.

3. Before the operation, you must maintain a healthy state and do not stay up late to avoid getting sick.

4. Do not wear makeup before the operation and be sure to clean your skin carefully.

5. Do not eat spicy food before surgery, and do not take medicines containing aspirin.

3. Postoperative precautions

1. When there is a local wound, do not get it wet;

2. Scabs will form after the operation, and will gradually fall off after 5-7 days. After the scabs fall off, the fresh tissue is relatively delicate and cannot withstand sunlight, so you must pay attention to sun protection. It is recommended to wear sunscreen when going out, especially in summer.

3. Patients should return to the hospital for a follow-up examination one and a half months after surgery;

4. Pay attention to sun protection.

5. Do not wear makeup, drink alcohol, or use facial masks during laser mole removal treatment, and do not rub dilated capillaries. Be sure to use sunscreen, otherwise it will cause temporary pigmentation.

4. Common methods

1. Electric cauterization

Method: Use the principle of electric high-temperature burning to remove the mole by burning and carbonization.

Advantages: Easy to operate.

Disadvantages: It is difficult to control the degree of burning, it is easy to leave scars, and it is not accepted by people.

Indications: It is effective for shallow combined nevi and deeper and raised compound nevi, and for nevi with a diameter of 0.3-0.5 cm.

2. Surgical Resection

Method: Surgical removal of the diseased tissue around the mole.

Advantages: This method can choose to partially or completely remove the diseased tissue, and different treatment methods can be used depending on the nature of the mole.

Disadvantages: It is difficult and time-consuming, so this method is rarely used for common moles.

Indications: Large, raised moles with a diameter greater than 0.6 cm.

3. Chemical corrosion

Method: Generally, a 50% concentration of trinitrocarbonic acid solution or alkaline agents such as sodium hydroxide are applied to the mole.

Advantages: Tricarbonic acid solution is not easy to burn the skin and cause scars; alkaline solution is highly corrosive and may take effect quickly.

Disadvantages: The effect of trinitrocarbonic acid solution is slow, and deeper moles may need to be treated 10 times; the corrosion depth of sodium hydroxide is not easy to control and may cause deep scars.

Indications: Moles with lighter color and shallow location.

4. Freezing method

Method: Use liquid nitrogen to freeze the nevus tissue extremely quickly, causing the cells around the nevus to form blisters and then fall off on their own.

Advantages: The depth of destruction is relatively easy to control, it can usually be done in one go, and it is not easy to cause obvious scars.

Disadvantages: Large and thick moles need to be frozen multiple times to be removed, and special instruments must be used. The doctor's skills are also very important. Dermatology is not used to treat moles because the depth is difficult to control and often causes damage.

Indications: Flat moles with a diameter of 0.3-0.5 cm, including freckles, etc.

5. Laser mole removal

Principle: Use the laser to burst out huge energy in an instant to act on the pigmented tissue, so that the pigment is broken up and decomposed, and then swallowed up by macrophages and excreted from the body, achieving the purpose of removing pigment.

Method: For shallow moles, laser can be used to remove them, such as ruby ​​laser, erbium laser, etc.; if it is a larger and deeper mole, carbon dioxide ultra-pulse laser should be used to remove it.

Advantages: Laser mole removal can control the size and depth of the optimal light spot, and is less likely to leave scars or become infected.

Disadvantages: No disadvantages, accepted by most people and popular.

Indications: Most moles, including deep and shallow moles, can be treated.

6. Excision flap transfer:

It is suitable for patients with small pigmented nevus but difficult to suture directly after excision, while the surrounding normal skin tissue is relatively loose and can be transferred to repair the wound after nevus excision, and there is no significant secondary deformity after direct suture of the donor area. It is also suitable for repairing wounds after excision of various plaque-like lesions on the face. Depending on the characteristics of the wound surface and the condition of the skin tissue around the wound, the following local flap transfer and repair methods can be selected.

5. Unsuitable

1. Patients with skin cancer;

2. People who have been exposed to or are likely to be exposed to sunlight;

3. People with photosensitive skin or those who have used photosensitizing drugs;

4. Patients with scar constitution and skin infection in the area to be treated;

5. Patients with epilepsy, diabetes, and bleeding tendency;

6. Pregnant women.