You are right that you have a protruding mole and the best way to remove this would be via a direct surgical excision and followed by meticulous closure by a skilled surgeon.
There will be a linear scar but there are some techniques that can help to minimise the scarring. The mole is too large to be removed by non-surgical methods or laser and the result will be worse.
We will attempt to place the scar within one of the natural lines of the face to set the stage for optimal wound healing. The tissues layers have to be opposed accurately followed by meticulous skin closure with the use of fine sutures (finer than the calibre of hair). This will help to ensure that there is minimal scarring from the sutures.
Sutures are removed on the 5th post-operative day. All surgeries and incisions on the skin will always leave a scar. This is especially so in Asian patients as we are at increased risk of getting bad scars.
Equally important to the surgery would be the aftercare of the surgical scar. Use of silicone scar creams to prevent hypertrophic scars and sunblock to prevent hyperpigmentation is a standard part of my after-care regime for all patients undergoing surgery at our clinic.
You will need to be on a silicone cream for about 2-3 months depending on how your scar does and sunblock for until the redness fades.
For most of my patients, these will suffice. For some with more prominent scars, lasers or steroid injections may be added on to improve the appearance of the scar.
Removal of moles or skin cancers is considered medical procedures and they are covered either by Medisave or Insurance depending on your coverage.
