After Mole Removal

What Should I Expect After Mole Removal?

Before going in for any procedure, it's important to know as much as you can about what to expect. Immediately after the procedure, you will be free to go home. You will have to pay close attention to how you feel and make sure that you take care of the affected area as directed by your doctor. A longer recovery period will follow in which the wound will slowly heal, scar and then fade away. Below are some more specific details about what to expect during the time immediately following the procedure and the longer recovery period.

Immediately After The Procedure

The procedure will likely end with the doctor stitching up the wound, although some doctors do not use stitches, and some moles are so small that stitches are not necessary. Because the surgery is simple and generally considered to be noninvasive, you do not need to stay overnight in the hospital. Chances are, you will not even need to stay more than a few minutes, and you can go home right away. You may experience a little pain when the local anesthetic wears off, but the pain shouldn't be anything that an over-the-counter pain medication should not be able to neutralize. (Of course, if you do experience unexpected extreme pain, you should call your doctor right away.)

The wound will be bandaged and should remain so for the next several days. In the two-to-three days following the surgery, a scab should form. Your doctor will instruct you to rub an antibiotic ointment on the wound once or twice a day to help prevent infection. Your doctor may instruct you to take care of yourself in other ways, and it is important for you to do as instructed, just to be safe. The wound will be the tenderest in these early days, and this is when you should be the most careful to not rub or bump the wound in any way.

If the wound is stitched up at the end of the surgery, you will have to return to the doctor within a few days or weeks to have the stitches removed. Having the stitches removed takes only a few minutes and can be done with little or no pain.

The Recovery Period

After about two weeks, you should start to see signs of healing. The scab usually falls off on its own around this time, and the newly-revealed skin is often slightly discolored. It may be pink, pale purple, or spotted brown. This is completely normal. This discoloration takes a few weeks or months to fade, and it is particularly noticeable right at first.

To protect the new skin and speed along the process of fading discoloration, make sure to take good care of the affected area. Use sunscreen or lotion that contains a sunscreen component to cover the skin any time that it will be exposed to the sun. When possible, keep the area covered by clothing to further protect it from sunlight.

Mole removal surgery always leaves a scar, although some scars are more obvious than others. Some procedures are more likely to leave a visible scar, while others leave a scar that is virtually unnoticeable. Most scars fade naturally over the course of years, but they do not naturally go away on their own. Scar removal plastic surgery can greatly improve the appearance of scars, but, unfortunately, it isn't a complete fix. Scar removal surgery actually leaves scarring, too.

When Can I See The Full Results From My Mole Removal?

It is a little tricky to say exactly when you will see the full results of mole removal surgery. Within about two weeks, the scab will usually have fallen off, meaning that the mole is finally completely gone. Some scarring and discoloration are left behind, though.

The discoloration appears as soon as the scab falls off, and it can vary in color from pink or slightly purple to light or dark brown. The area may be spotted with several small marks, and they are most visible for the first several weeks after the scab has fallen off. Over the course of the next several months, they slowly fade until they go away entirely.

Scars fade with time, but it tends to take months or years. The good thing is that the scars are usually less visible than the moles; so many people are willing to deal with the scarring that comes with having their moles removed.

What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Mole Removal?

This procedure is associated with few side effects. During the actual surgery, you might get an infection, or you might have an allergic reaction to an anesthetic. If the surgeon performing the surgery is not experienced or is not able to work with precision, the wound may be deeper or more uneven than necessary. If this happens, you will probably have a scar that is more visible.

You can choose to have your mole removed by a plastic surgeon or by a dermatologist. Although both kinds of doctors are certified to remove moles, they may not go about it in exactly the same way. Dermatologists are generally less concerned about leaving a scar, whereas plastic surgeons are trained to leave the least possible evidence behind. The price may be somewhat higher if you see a plastic surgeon, but the difference in scarring may be worth it to you.

Another side effect to consider is the possibility that the mole you have had removed will grow back. Some techniques, such as the elliptical excision technique, protect against this by removing cells from the deeper layers of skin, making it less likely that any mole cells are left behind that may later grow into another mole. Shave excision or laser mole removal are techniques that mostly leave the deeper skin cells intact. Some deeper mole cells might gradually bring the mole back, although it usually takes years for a mole to grow back.

How Can I Tell If My Mole Removal Site Is Getting Infected?

The greatest risk associated with this procedure is the possibility of getting an infection. Your doctor will sterilize all instruments before the procedure, but some germs might get in anyway. As an extra protection, you will also be given antibiotic pills or creams to use for a few days after the procedure. Even with all of those precautions, you might still get an infection. But how do you tell if you have an infection?

Pay close attention to the wound, and watch for troubling signs. If the wound is overly-tender, swollen, or if puss or foul-smelling liquid oozes from it, you should be concerned. Some discomfort is natural following surgery, but all out burning pain is not. These are all signs that your wound has become infected.

If you have an infection, you should immediately call your doctor. You might be able to deal with it yourself by more carefully cleaning with the wound and using diluted hydrogen peroxide to kill germs. If the infection is serious enough, though, you may need medical attention. In any case, you should never ignore signs of infection because infections pose a serious threat to your health.