CO2 laser is effective in treating small facial moles with minimal scars, little bleeding, and simple operation. However, for moles larger than 5mm in diameter, clinicians tend to prefer surgical excision, because further laser treatment often leaves more obvious depressed scars, such as the one below (Figure 1). Figure 1: A nevus with a diameter of about 5 mm, 3 months after laser treatment, leaving a depressed scar. To solve this problem and to continue treating larger moles (5-10 mm in diameter) with the CO2 laser without leaving a visible depressed scar, the authors invented their method – laser series treatment of moles (Figure 2). Figure 2: Schematic diagram of laser series of nevus treatment. a is the nevus before treatment, b is the intended laser removal of half of the nevus, c is the nevus after laser removal of half, d is the skin depression after removal of half of the nevus filled with granulation and epithelialization, e is the intended laser removal of the other half of the nevus, f is the other half also removed, g is the other half of the wound also filled with granulation and epithelialization. Of course, this is only a schematic diagram, the authors did not always treat the nevus in two separate laser sessions. They treated a total of 25 patients, 21 in 2 sessions, 3 in 3 sessions, and 1 in 4 sessions. Each time was 2-4 weeks apart. Take a look at the examples. Figure 3: Case 1 nevus next to the back of the nose. a nevus before treatment, b half removed by laser, c, 4 weeks later, d 1 month after laser treatment of the other half, there was a more obvious red mark, e 6 months after the second treatment, the red mark became less obvious, f after 1 year, the scar was indeed very inconspicuous. Figure 4: Case 2 chin nevus. a before treatment; b immediately after the first treatment; c 1 week after the first treatment, granulation growth, no epithelialization yet; d 2 weeks after the first treatment, epithelialization completed; e 1 month after the second treatment; f 3 months after the third treatment, hyperpigmentation and a light red scar can be seen. The authors did not provide more distant photos. So, if you are interested in reading this, I think you might possibly think: Why not just do laser for large moles like this, the results are good too! Yes, of course you can, but expect to face several problems: 1) you need a patient laser doctor who is willing to help you do this; 2) the results are not always good; 3) you need to make sure that your “mole” will not become cancerous, but if it becomes melanoma, you will be in big trouble. Figure 5. After the combination of IPL and Er:YAG laser treatment once a month, a total of 10 times, light gray marks are left behind. Finally, I do recommend surgical excision for larger moles, but there are many reports of using laser to treat large moles, and this article represents my personal opinion only.