Mole Removal in Huntington Beach, CA

Mole removal is performed for clinical and for cosmetic reasons.

Clinically, a mole should be evaluated if it is new, or if it changes in size, shape or color. Any mole that itches, bleeds or will not heal deserves a professional skin exam. Our team performs thorough skin exams and identifies moles that need a biopsy or removal — and that assessment comes first, before anything is taken off.

Cosmetically, a mole in a prominent area, or a raised one that catches on clothing or jewelry, can be removed for comfort or appearance. Either way, if there is any question about what a mole is, it is examined and tested rather than simply removed.

Mole removal is an outpatient procedure done in our Huntington Beach office under local anesthetic. Which technique we use depends on the mole’s depth, its position, and whether it needs to be examined for cancer.

Shave excision

The mole is shaved level with the surrounding skin using a fine blade, without cutting down into the deeper layers. It heals without stitches and suits raised moles that are not suspicious. Because it does not take the full depth of the skin, it is less suitable when the deeper tissue margins need to be examined.

Punch excision

A small circular blade removes the mole as a full-thickness plug of skin, usually closed with one or two stitches. It is well suited to smaller moles, and to moles that need a full-depth specimen for the laboratory, since it takes the lesion through every layer in a single piece.

Surgical excision

The mole is removed with a scalpel along with a small margin of healthy skin around it, and the area is repaired with stitches. This is the approach used when a mole is suspicious for skin cancer, or when it is too large or too deep for the other two methods.

Some moles eventually reappear after removal. This is more likely after a shave excision than after a punch or surgical excision, because a shave leaves the deepest cells behind.

Always. Every mole we remove goes to a pathology laboratory, where the tissue is examined for cancerous cells — including moles taken off purely for cosmetic reasons. Appearance alone is not a reliable guide to what a mole is, so nothing leaves this office unexamined.

Your results are reviewed with you, along with what — if anything — needs to happen next. If you would like to know more about what we look for, see our pages on skin cancer and annual skin checks.

Healing time varies with your age, the type of excision, and the size of the mole. A shave heals over as a small open area; a punch or surgical excision is closed with stitches, which are removed at a follow-up visit.

In some cases the wound is cauterized using heat, which controls bleeding and helps minimize scarring. We advise keeping the area clean and moist while it heals, and changing the bandage regularly.

Yes. Any time the skin is cut it heals with a scar, and no technique avoids that. Usually the mark is minimal — a flat, pale spot after a shave excision, or a fine line after a punch or surgical excision — and it softens over the following months.

What we cannot predict is how your skin will heal. Some people form thick, raised keloid scars, and there is no way to know in advance. If you have formed one before, anywhere on your body, please tell us.

Schedule an appointment online or over the phone at Z-Dermatology & Skin Wellness Center to learn more about mole removal.