Can Facial Moles Be Removed At The Same Time As Getting Facial Implants?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am planning to have zygomatic and chin silicone implants with you very soon. However I have flat moles on those areas of the face that I am planning to remove at some point.

My question is would laser mole removal in any way “damage” or infect an implant underneath (please note I have very thin tissues with not a lot of fat between skin and bones) as I am not sure which procedure to go with first.

A: While I think it would be prudent to separate the mole removal from facial implant placement, that decision has nothing to do with the risk of infection. Removing a superficial skin mole is not going to infect an implant down at the bone level. Rather it is an issue of potential poor scarring. When done at the same time, and provided the mole removal is done over or close to the site of the implant agmentation, the postoperative swelling will stretch the skin closure from the mole excision affecting its final scar appearance. Thus facial mole removal should be done several months before or after facial implant placement.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana