Mole removal

There was an changing mole on the crown of my scalp that the doctor said should be removed. I just went in to have it done this morning. The numbing needle didn't hurt much which surprised me because I thought the scalp would hurt a lot more to poke. Honestly, I've had paper cuts hurt worse. Once the area was numb, they sadly had to shave a small patch of hair (I believe it was about a square inch total, but Im too scared to look.) Then the procedure started. It kind of freaked me out worse than the numbing because I could HEAR him cutting the skin. I believe he put in 4-5 dissolvable stitches total. Once the numbing wore off, I was/am kind of surprised at how sore and achy it feels. Advil hasn't helped so far, but I'm thinking of picking something stronger up tomorrow. I was instructed no showering for two days, and no bathing/hottubs for 7-10 days. It just has to be cleaned now with saline solution and polysporine twice a day. Doc said no ponytails that first day, but I should be good for keeping my hair up afterwards. I'm planning on leaving it parted and in pigtails when I sleep though, so that there's time for the wound to breathe and heal. That's about it!

I am really scared of needles. I might have to get a removal on my scalp. My mole is clear and a little bubbled. Don't know if it is cancerous or not because we have not went to the doctor. We are a going to the doctor soon. My mom said she's pretty sure it's going to get removed and it will be on my scalp and I don't want a big scare leftover or any removal of hair. Then I also don't want any needles in my head because I will start freaking out and I just need some advice.

I'm sixteen and have a wide mole on the bottom of my chin. I want to get it removed, but I'm worried about scarring. Will it be more noticeable than the brown lump on my chin?

I just had a mole removed from my scalp from a plastic surgeon, and had 4 stitches to close it. My mole was rather large and he took the mole and then some due to the color of the mole, and because the mole was set down very deep into my skin.

It is not painful during the procedure at all, you may feel a tug or a warm or cool sensation, but overall it is painless. Even on your head, you cannot tell what they are doing.

However the numbing agent made me act funny. After it wore off, my head was VERY painful! Maybe due to the size of the wound itself, or perhaps it is just swollen and tight feeling. I had plans to do errands tonight, but I am too ill-feeling to do any activity at all.

I agree with what everyone else said, it is a pretty simple procedure. I had a mole on my upper chest that everyone would slap since they thought it was a bug while I was growing up. I had it removed and it was fairly simple. They simply apply a sedative in the area, used a cutter to remove it and that was it. The procedure was approximately 5 minutes. There was no pain although they ask you to stay out of the sun for a while. Very simple and painless.

Hi Anon-

I've had two moles removed and the process depends on where, and how big your moles are that need to be removed.

The first mole I had removed when I was 16. It was in the middle of my back and rather large. My dermatologist called a plastic surgeon in and it was removed one sunny afternoon in the spring. The plastic surgeon numbed the area with needles, removed the mole, and stitched it up. Some of the deep stitches dissolved. The superficial ones were removed about two weeks later.

The second mole removed was removed the same day by the dermatologist. It was numbed and cut off. No stitches were needed.

In both cases, I received an antibiotic and Aetna health insurance covered the procedures. My mom just paid the co-pay.

One came back negative for skin cancer, the other sample was lost, but they felt confident about the margins even though it was likely pre-cancerous.

Let us know how your procedure goes and good luck!

I've had several suspicious looking moles removed over the years just because there's a high prevalence of skin cancer in my family. They were removed various ways -- by being frozen off and by being cut off. Neither way was painful because that area was numbed beforehand, and they all healed up just fine.

One thing to keep in mind, like Susan mentioned, is to make sure you follow your doctor's instructions for caring for your wound after the mole removal. And certain places on your body may take more time to heal. I once had a mole removed from my foot and it seemed like it took forever to heal. My daughter had a mole about the size of a pencil eraser removed from her scalp, and that was also a challenge to heal because of the location.

When are you getting your mole removed? Have you asked your doctor to check if your insurance covers it for you? Let us know how it goes!