Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, do you do mole removals on the face? I have several raised moles on my face that I would like to see about removing. Is the cost for it per mole? I have one about the size of a pencil eraser and the others are smaller. Do you have before and after pictures of facial mole removal procedures? I’m worried about the scarring and not sure if it is worth it.
A: Every plastic surgeon does facial mole removal which is done in the office under local anesthesia in most cases. Your facial picture which makes it very clear as to your facial mole issues and their large number. I could easily identify three facial moles (right face, right nose and right upper lip) and probably six that would benefit by removal. While every faoial mole removal does leave a very fine scar in its wake, this would seem to be of less significance than what they are replacing based on your picture and the sized and location of the moles. In general a small flat scar is usually better than a raised darkly pigmented mole which often can have hair growth associated with it.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in facial mole removal. I was born with a mole on the side of my nose. I spoke with a dermatologist in my teens and he said he couldn’t remove it because the mole was too deep and there would be a crater. Now I’m 22 years old and looking for a second opinion and, from what I’ve read, it’s better to talk to a plastic surgeon. From my attached photos, what do you think would be possible for me? Do you think there would be too big of a crater?
A: Facial mole removal must always take into consideration where on the face it is located and what size itis. The mole on your nose appears to be about 6 x 6mms and can be removed without leaving a crater deformity. Since the skin on the alar rim of the nose is so tight where it is located, the key to removing it is to do it in two stages. In the first stage, the central 2/3s of the mole is removed and closed. Then six weeks later the remainder can be removed. By doing it in two stages, this allows the surrounding skin to stretch so that after the second completion stage the scar does not widen and leave an indentation or notch on the rim of the nose. This is a procedure that be simply performed in the office under local anesthesia.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana