Facial Mole Removal Methods

  There are two types of facial pigmented moles: non-surgical and surgical; unless the diameter of the mole is very small and superficial, no matter which method is used, it is impossible to leave no trace at all, only the size and obviousness of the scar are different. Non-surgical methods such as freezing, laser, high-frequency electric knife, chemical erosion …… either do not “burn” deep enough to remove the mole completely, or “burn” too deep and leave a “scar” larger than the diameter of the mole. The non-surgical methods either do not burn deep enough to remove the mole completely, or they burn too deep and leave a “crater-like” scar that is larger than the diameter of the mole. Moreover, there is a potential risk of malignant changes due to irritation of the nevus with non-surgical methods. Therefore, these methods are best suited for small, superficial moles with a small diameter.  Surgical excision is the method of “complete removal of the mole + cosmetic suturing” and is especially suitable for larger or deeper moles with a diameter of 3mm or more. The scar left after excision is a small line, which is also a scar from the histological point of view, so it also leaves a scar. However, it is much smaller and less visible than the circular scar left by the non-surgical method without stitches mentioned above. Also, surgical excision does not irritate the mole, so there is no risk of causing malignant changes. In addition, for moles suspected to be problematic, the excised mole can be “pathologically examined” after surgical excision to further clarify the pathological diagnosis and guide the subsequent treatment. However, in the above-mentioned non-surgical method, the mole tissue is “burned”, so there is no way to keep the tissue specimen for “pathological examination”.