Mole Removal

Mole removal is a short procedure with two very different motives behind it. Most people come to Lux Medical Aesthetics in Richmond Hill for cosmetic reasons: a raised mole that catches on a razor or a necklace, a dark spot on the cheek that bothers them in photographs, or a skin tag in an awkward place. The second reason is medical. A mole that has changed in size, shape, colour or border, that bleeds or itches, or that simply looks different from the others needs to be assessed before anything else happens. We do not remove a suspicious lesion for cosmetic reasons alone, and when there is any doubt the tissue is sent for pathology.

The method depends on the mole. A raised mole sitting on the surface is usually treated with a shave excision: the area is numbed with local anaesthetic and the lesion is taken off level with the skin, leaving a small flat mark that fades. A mole with roots deeper in the skin, or one that needs to be removed completely, is taken out with a surgical excision and closed with fine stitches. Either way the appointment is short, usually fifteen to thirty minutes for one lesion, and you go home immediately afterwards.

Healing is simple but needs discipline. Keep the area clean and covered as instructed, avoid picking the scab, and skip swimming pools, saunas and heavy exercise for the first few days. Stitches, when used, come out within about a week. Every removal leaves some mark, and how that mark settles depends on your skin, the size of the lesion and its position; sun protection for several months is the single most useful thing you can do for the final appearance. Moles can occasionally recur after a shave removal, and that is not a sign that anything has gone wrong. A consultation with a medical assessment comes first, and any Ontario physician can be verified through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, with general health product guidance from Health Canada.

If your concern is the surface of the skin rather than one lesion, other treatments fit better: BBL and filler for pigmentation, sun damage and redness, Jalupro and Profhilo or PRP and mesotherapy for texture and hydration, and laser hair removal for unwanted hair. For the eyelid area, see blepharoplasty. Browse the full list of treatments, check the payment plans, read about our doctors, or book a consultation.