Mole & Skin Lesion Removal

How it works

After local anesthesia or numbing cream, the doctor removes or vaporizes the lesion, often with a CO2 laser, or sometimes by another method such as excision. Laser removal ablates tissue layer by layer, leaving a shallow wound that forms a scab and heals from the edges. Suspicious or changing lesions may need a sample sent for laboratory examination rather than vaporization, because ablated tissue cannot be analyzed. Healing leaves a flat, pink, lighter or darker mark in some people, and regrowth can occur.

Who it may suit

• Benign-looking moles that bother you for cosmetic reasons
• Skin tags and certain seborrheic keratoses
• Small flat spots a doctor confirms as suitable for laser
• Travelers with enough time for the skin to close before the flight

The treatment day

1. Examination of each lesion. The doctor looks at size, color, border and change over time, possibly with a magnifying device, and decides whether removal, sampling or no treatment is appropriate.
2. Anesthesia. Local anesthetic is injected or numbing cream is applied to the area.
3. Removal. The lesion is lifted or vaporized, or cut out. The visit runs about 10 to 30 minutes depending on the number of spots.
4. Dressing and instructions. An ointment and protective patch are applied and you are told how to clean and cover the area.

Aftercare

• Keep the spot clean and covered with the recommended ointment and patch until the doctor says otherwise
• Expect scabs for about 1 to 2 weeks and avoid picking them
• Protect the spot from the sun, including with sunscreen once healed, to lower the chance of dark marks
• Skip swimming, hot springs and saunas until the skin has closed
• Return or call if the area becomes more painful, oozes or spreads redness

Things to know first

• Possible effects include bleeding, infection, a pink, white or dark mark, scar, regrowth and, rarely, a keloid
• Any mole that is changing, bleeding, irregular or dark should be examined and possibly sampled rather than simply removed
• Facial and body locations heal differently, and some people form thicker scars
• Pregnancy, blood-thinning medicines and active infection need discussion before removal
• A follow-up session is sometimes needed if the lesion regrows or leaves residue

Planning mole removal around a Seoul trip

Put this early in your itinerary. Fresh wounds need a few days of careful cleaning and covering, and scabs should not be forced off before a beach, pool or spa day. A traveler who wants several spots removed should consider how many patches will show on the face in photos, and may prefer to treat a few now and leave the rest for another time.

If the doctor recommends a lab examination of any lesion, the result will not return during a short visit, so ask how it would be delivered once you are home and who would explain it. Keep the dressing supplies, take photos of the healed skin at about two weeks and watch for regrowth. A mark that stays pink for weeks is not unusual, but ask the clinic how to report concerns from overseas.