There are various skin growths, such as moles, that people often have. Moles can be brown or black and are very common that in fact, most adults have 10 or 40 of them present in the body. Some of them are visible at birth, while others may develop after some time in our adult life.
Moles are usually not a cause of concern with some considering them as natural skin stain or even a mark of beauty in some cases. However, moles that show drastic changes in colour, shape, and size over the years should be evaluated by a professional dermatologist to see if they are at risk of cancer. It is advisable to remove them if proven health risk to the bearer. In other cases, moles are excised for cosmetic and aesthetic reasons.
Whatever your intentions are, the procedure is almost alike for everybody. Below are the things to expect during a mole removal in Singapore.
How do I know if a mole should be removed?
You should always do your own research online at first. But to save you some time, I’d like to point you to Ubiqi mole removal guide as explained by an aesthetic doctor. After you’ve gathered some information, your next step should be seeing an expert, a doctor or a good dermatologist to examine the mole. The dermatologist will then take a skin sample if he/she thinks it needs further evaluation – this procedure, called biopsy, in which when the specimen will be examined under a microscope. The doctor will scrape some parts of the mole, or use a scalpel to get all of it for analysis. If the biopsy determines the tissue samples are cancerous, your doctor will have to remove the mole and its surrounding area to get rid of the cancer cells.
What is the process of removing a mole?
Removing a mole is usually a simple and straightforward operation, and it does not take more than a day to do. Outpatient hospital centre or a clinic can perform the surgery. Your skincare doctor will choose between these two surgical methods to have your moles removed.
Excision
Anaesthesia will be administered to numb the point of surgery. It is a traditional surgery where the entire mole is cut out as well as some skin around it. The skin is stitched closed afterwards. Recovery from this method is short, about a week, according to doctors on RealSelf. However, the scar might take longer to fully heal.
Surgical Shave
This procedure commonly opts for smaller moles. As above, numbing the area using anaesthetic is necessary before the doctor will shave the mole off. In this kind of surgery, though, patients do not usually need stitches.
The procedure can be finished in a matter of minutes for smaller moles and up to an hour for bigger ones. It will also depend on how deep the doctor needs to cut your skin in. Because of the anaesthesia, the whole surgery itself should not cause any discomfort. If you do, it is best to let your surgeon know. Your doctor should also explain the process and the duration of the procedure to you, first hand.
What are the risks of having a mole removed?
The surgery, as mentioned, is a simple and low-risk one so there should not be much worry during then. After surgery, infection is the most significant health concern. You should take extra care and follow your doctor’s instructions of cleaning and covering the area until the wound closes. Scarring is also a common concern after the wound is completely healed. It is a downside, especially if it is on the face. For those who want to rid of them, there are other options available to remove scars too. Discuss this with your practitioner.
How long is the downtime?
There is usually not a downtime considering it is a minor surgery so you should be able to go back to your daily routine as soon as you can. However, the duration of wound healing would vary between people, but it is usually in between a few days to a few weeks. It is dependent on how big was the mole removed or deep how deep the excision area was. There should not be any pain during the healing period as well, though you might experience itchiness and soreness. It is just from little to mild discomfort.
As for caring the area where the mole was removed, it is pretty easy and does not differ much from your usual hygienic routine. Your doctor will discuss the home after-care with you as well but generally, you should wash the wound with running water and gentle soap once a day, and then apply cream or petroleum jelly before bandaging it again.
For removal of the stitches (if you had any), the follow-up days will depend on what kind of suture used and where the surgery takes place. Your doctor will run this by with you as well, soon after your surgery but typically, they can be removed after a week or three.
Overall, having a mole removal in Singapore is not as scary as one might initially think it would be. Whether or not you decide to have a mole removed for medical or cosmetic reasons, it is always recommended to visit a licensed skincare practitioner first before to get proper information.
