Mole Removal Costs

How Much Does Mole Removal Cost?

The cost of mole removal varies, depending on several factors. The first factor is which type of procedure you are going to have done. Some procedures are more expensive than others. Another factor that may affect the cost is the size of the mole. Bigger and deeper moles may be more expensive to have removed than small, flat ones. Also, the kind of doctor that you have remove the mole will affect the cost; you will usually pay quite a bit more to see a plastic surgeon than a dermatologist.

So, which type of procedure are you going to have done? The two traditional surgical methods, the elliptical excision and the shave excision, cost about the same price. Although it depends on the doctor and the clinic, you can expect the surgery to cost between $100 and $400 per mole. That should factor in the surgeon's fee, the clinic fee, and the anesthesia. It's important to realize that those are all separate costs that will show up on your bill. Also, remember that you will have to pay for the initial visit to the doctor, which may cost you around $80, depending on your doctor.

If you have your mole removed through laser therapy or cryotherapy, you will most likely have at least three sessions of therapy to get the job done. Each session costs between $50 and $300 per mole, so make sure that you ask your doctor how much each session is going to cost so that you can total up the cost. Remember to factor in the initial visit, too, which may cost you $80 or more.

If you see a plastic surgeon, the fees may be higher and will vary quite a bit from surgeon to surgeon. A broad ballpark range is between $300 and $2000 for each mole. Part of the reason that plastic surgeons are more expensive is that they are specially trained to improve your appearance and minimize scarring. The end result will almost certainly look much better if you go to a plastic surgeon to have your mole removed.

More than 2/3 of American who have elective cosmetic surgery earn under $5,000 a year.

Will I Need More Than One Treatment Session To Permanently Remove My Mole?

The answer to this question depends on the technique that is used. If you have your mole removed through a traditional surgical technique-shave excision or elliptical excision-you should only need one session to remove the mole. Remember that the shave excision technique may leave deep mole cells alive that could potentially cause your mole to grow back after a few years.

If you have cryotherapy or laser therapy removal, you will almost certainly have to have more than one session. These techniques work more gradually by using extreme cold or heat to kill the mole cells. On average, most moles can be removed in three treatment sessions, but sometimes more are necessary. There is some risk that these techniques, as well, might leave some mole cells alive that may lead the mole to re-grow at a later time.

Remember that regardless of the technique used, you will have to see your doctor at least twice. The initial visit is when you sit down to talk about what you want to have done and ask the doctor all of the questions that you need to have answered. This is when you choose a technique, learn what to expect and about recovery time and cost. You will set a time to have your mole removed during this visit. Also, you may have to have a follow up visit to the doctor a few days after surgery to have stitches removed. These additional visits do cost money, so you should not forget them when figuring out the total expense.

Do Clinics Ever Offer Financing For Mole Removal?

Because cosmetic mole removal is not usually covered by health insurance companies, you will probably have to pay out of pocket to have your mole removed. If you don't have hundreds of dollars just lying around, you might consider looking into financing to help you pay. Most clinics offer some form of financing.

Financing is basically taking out of a loan that you will have to pay back. How fast you will be required to pay it back depends on the particular financing program. Quicker is usually better because you will accumulate less interest.

Interest rates for financing plans depend largely on your credit score. If you have clean credit that shows that you have faithfully paid your bills in the past, you should have no problem getting a low-interest payment plan. But if your credit score is not so good, you will probably have to take a higher-interest payment plan that will take longer to repay.

If you are considering financing, make sure to talk to the clinic right away to find out all of the specific details of how their particular program works. Most clinics offer some form of financing, and they are usually willing to help you out, regardless of your credit history.

For those who want to avoid the hassle and the debt of financing, you can always save up money and pay for the procedure with cash. You may be able to go into for your initial visit to learn how much money you will have to pay, and then set the dates for the procedure several months in the future, giving you time to save up to pay the bill without needing financing.

Does Health Insurance Cover The Cost Of Mole Removal?

Health insurance companies only want to pay for procedures that they consider to be medically necessary. That means that if your health is being adversely affected by a condition-or if it's life threatening-the insurance companies are willing to foot the bill. If you want to have a mole removed just for cosmetic reasons, your insurance company will probably not be willing to pay.

There are exceptions. Because some moles are cancerous and hazardous to your health, insurance companies will pay to have some moles removed. If a mole is suspicious or if your doctor feels uncertain about it any way, (because of strange coloration, shape, or unexplained pain) you can have a biopsy of the mole sent to a lab for screening.

When your doctor orders a biopsy, this tells the insurance company that the mole is possibly hazardous to your health. The insurance company should cover the cost of the biopsy. If the mole turns out of to be cancerous, the insurance company will definitely cover the cost of the removal surgery as well. Sometimes insurance companies will still pay for the surgery if the doctor insists that the surgery is medically necessary, even if the mole is not cancerous.

Unfortunately, if your mole is not considered hazardous, your insurance company is likely to make you pay out of pocket to have the mole removed. That's because such surgeries fall under the category of cosmetic surgeries. As their name suggests, cosmetic surgeries are performed for completely cosmetic reasons. They are designed to make you look better in some way-not to improve your health. If your goal is simply to improve your physical appearance, the insurance companies are not likely to be sympathetic.