When a mole is removed, there may be a reaction around the area.
Do you know how to tell if the reaction is normal or if it means a visit to the doctor?
You have to realize that when a mole is removed, a section of skin is scooped out.
“There are two ways moles can be removed,” says Dr. Tess Mauricio, MD, FAAD, a leading board certified dermatologist from Stanford University Medical School and CEO of MBeautyClinic.com.
Dr. Mauricio continues, “A shave biopsy, which means shaving off just the bump or the pigment without removing the full thickness of the skin.
“The other way is an excisional biopsy where a full thickness of the skin around the mole is removed.”
Care After Mole Removal
“The shave biopsy is like a deep skin scrape,” says Dr. Mauricio. “Keep dry for the first 24 hours and keep moist with antibiotic ointment and covered with a band-aid away from sun exposure for about five to seven days.”
Vaseline jelly can serve as the antibiotic ointment; ask your doctor about this.
“An excision will have stitches. So the doctor has to remove stitches unless they use self-absorbing sutures or adhesive. Be careful with stretching of the wound and also keep dry for 48 hours.”
The more skin that is excised, the more you may notice pink around the area. This pink tone is a natural response to a wound.
When should the patient be concerned about the skin reaction?
“When the site has redness, pus, pain and bleeding,” says Dr. Mauricio.
Dr. Mauricio is an internationally recognized cosmetic surgeon and the youngest woman to hold the position of President of The San Diego Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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