Will Facial Mole Removal Leave A Crater?

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