It is not uncommon for people to enquire about laser excision of a mole here at the Staiano Clinic as I think that sometimes people feel that it is somehow better than surgical excision.
Anything with the term laser in it is deemed to be futuristic and therefore better than the old-fashioned ways, and indeed lasers have been a great advance in the field of plastic surgery and are very useful in many situations.

We do not offer laser excision of moles here at the Staiano Clinic, however we would be happy to talk to you about it.

If you wanted laser excision, it would always be best to talk to a practitioner who does offer laser excision of moles, because they would be best placed to tell you the pros and cons and the reasons why they offer it.
The main point to consider, is that if you want to have your mole removed, then it will need to be destroyed in some way.  The sort of lasers that are used for mole removal are quite destructive and cut the skin in a similar way to a scalpel.

One of the reasons people feel that laser is preferable to surgery is because they do not want the scar.
However, if the mole is going to be destroyed then it will leave a scar or a mark whatever modality is used.
The pattern of scarring might be different and that is true for the different types of mole excision.

One of the main benefits of laser is that multiple moles can be targeted at the same time, but one of the big downsides is that laser destroys the tissues and so the mole cannot be sent for histology, and it is good practice certainly for pigmented lesions, that they are sent away for histological analysis to be sure that there is nothing to worry about.

There are no moles that are removed by laser excision that cannot be removed by surgical excision and we are all plastic surgeons here at the Staiano Clinic and we specialise in the surgical excision of moles.

There are clinics that do offer laser excision of moles, but you have to be absolutely sure that they are benign before going down that route.

Ideally you would find a plastic surgeon who does laser excision of moles and surgical excision to get a balanced view.

The fact is that laser is often performed by non-plastic surgeons who may not have the ability to offer surgical excision, so it is sometimes hard to get a balanced view and opinion, and so my advice would be to look at the results of different practitioners and choose someone you can trust, who seems to give results and have happy patients because you will find, like with most things, there are many ways to crack a nut.

We are very comfortable with performing surgical excisions of moles here at the Staiano Clinic and we offer free consultations with one of our plastic surgeons if you would like to come along and have an assessment and a chat.
You can also download our guide with details of when you should worry about your mole here.
We are one of the few clinics to offer a see and treat service where you can come to the clinic and have your mole assessed and removed on the same day, and while we do ask for a deposit, there is no obligation to proceed and the deposit is fully refundable if you do not proceed with the surgery on the day.

If you have any questions and want to get in touch, then contact us on the website or on Facebook where I do a live Q and A on Facebook every Tuesday at 7 p.m.  Please visit our Facebook page if you would like to put a question directly to Jonathan.
Feel free to leave a comment below, or drop us an e-mail.
If you want to come for a free no obligation consultation with one of our plastic surgeons, please call or email us or fill in the on-line contact form.

 There are two sides to every coin and when patients ask us, should I have this mole removed, it is sometimes difficult to give a straight answer and we will often come back with:

 ‘it depends’

 

Three reasons to have your mole removed:

1. You think it might be cancer. This is the main one.  In these situations  then the decision is easy and you really should have your mole removed.  It is important to be vigilant and look out for the signs of cancer, (see our guide when to worry about a mole) and if there has been any recent change in your mole and any suspicion of cancer, then this trumps all the other reasons and the mole should be removed and sent away for histological analysis.

 

2. Peace of mind. If the mole is not obviously cancerous, then we will often say that you can keep an eye on it and get in touch if there are any changes.  We offer free consultations so you can always come back to the clinic to get it checked out and I am sure your GP will be able to keep an eye on things for you.  However, some people are worried and when they start focusing on a particular mole, they are not sure whether it has changed of not ‘has it got bigger, has it just started itching, or is that me?‘.    Sometimes the moles can be in difficult areas like your back, and it is difficult to keep an eye on things and so it might be easier to have it removed and then the problem has gone once and for all.

 

3. I do not like the look of it. This is one of the most common reasons that we see patients in the clinic and we hear things like ‘I hate my mole’, or ‘I have never liked it’, or it may be nuisance and can be raised and catch on things, which makes them bleed or they may have hairs growing from them and it is this reason that probably needs the most discussion, because as you will see from the reasons not to remove a mole, mole removal does leave a scar and so you need to be confident that the scar will be preferable to the mole.

 

Three reasons not to remove your mole:

1. It will leave a scar. Now just because we are plastic surgeons, it still does not mean that we do not leave scars.  Of course a large part of our training is in tissue handling and wound closure, so we do take great care to leave neat scars and we have tricks of the trade that allow us to hide the scars or orientate them in such a way that makes them less obvious.  However, at the end of the day removing a mole will leave a scar of some sort.  It might be a thin line or a faint patch, depending on how it is removed (see shave or excision of mole) and scars do tend to fade particularly when they are on the face, and so it is often difficult to see where they were.  However, in the early stages they are often red and obvious and you need to look after them to ensure that you get the best result possible.

 

2. Your mole has always been a part of you. We specialise in breast and body contouring here at the Staiano Clinic and you cannot underestimate the effects of changing your body in some way.  If you have had a mole for a long time, particularly if it is on a prominent area of your face, this is something that people will associate with you and you may look completely different without it.  It can sometimes be difficult to come to terms with your new look and we have seen lives transformed with a simple 20 minute procedure removing a prominent mole on the nose or the forehead and it can be tremendous to see the positive effect of what some might call a ‘minor’ operation.  Whilst the only person you need to convince is yourself, it can be helpful to talk to friends and family members to get their take on things, because at the end of the day a mole is a natural attribute whereas a scar is not.  This is particularly true for people who want multiple moles removed because multiple scars might look more obvious than the moles themselves.

 

3. Once it has gone you cannot go back. Obviously if there is a worry about skin cancer your mole needs to be removed, but if it is more of a cosmetic issue it is always good to take time to consider things and weigh up the pros and cons, because if you are not sure you can always go away and come back another day.  Even if you come to one of our see and treat sessions, we will never pressurise you into having a mole removed, because we realise it can be a significant decision.  There is no harm in delaying things, having a think, and talking it over with your friends and family.  We will still be here a month, six months, or in a year’s time.  You will never regret delaying the decision to have it removed, although you may think I wish I had done that years ago.  However, once it is removed there is no turning back and the scar is permanent, although we would stress it is often more obvious in the early stages and so do not be too alarmed because it will fade.

 

For more details on what to look out for with a mole download our free guide here.

If you want to come for a free no obligation consultation with one of our plastic surgeons, please call or email us or fill in the on-line contact form.
Or you can ask our director, Jonathan Staiano, a question LIVE on Facebook at 7 o’clock every Tuesday evening, so feel free to drop in.

Scar Revision At The STAIANO Clinic

You may think that scar revision is bread and butter for a plastic surgeon, but it is important to be aware of what is possible when it comes to considering revision of your scar.
It is not possible to remove scars completely, but plastic surgeons are trained in techniques to alter and improve scars so that they can be hidden or blend in with their surroundings.
If you think that you might be a suitable candidate for scar revision, then watch this video where our director, JJ Staiano, talks about what can be achieved with plastic surgery to help improve and reduce scarring.

What Scars Are Suitable For Scar Revision?

Not all scars are suitable for scar revision and you would be welcome to send us a photograph of your scar so that we can give you an assessment on whether we can help.
Scar revision is particularly suitable for scars that are stretched or indented or scars that are lying in an unfavourable orientation.  This is usually scars that are caused by some sort of trauma or injury rather than scars that have been made following surgery.
If you have a surgical scar, then it could be raised and lumpy and this is known as a keloid or hypertrophic scar.  Keloid scars are best managed by a qualified surgeon or dermatologist as they are difficult to treat and there is a risk of causing more keloid scarring if surgery is performed.
We have a wealth of options to treat problematic scars at The STAIANO Clinic ranging from non-surgical treatments such as silicone gel that can be applied to your scars to steroid injections that we can perform here at the clinic through to surgical revision to improve the look of your scar.

 

When plastic surgeons perform scar revision surgery, they are creating new scars and so the aim is to create a new scar that is better than the old scar.  It is very much a bespoke service that we offer and we will assess your scar and take a full history so that we can offer you the best treatment for your scar and give you the best result possible.

When Is The Best Time To Undertake Scar Revision Surgery?

All scars take 6 to 12 months to mature and so you should not consider scar revision until your scar has fully matured and is going to be as soft and supple as it is going to get.
It may sound counter-intuitive to wait until your scar has fully settled before undergoing revision, but it it is important for it to have softened and settled fully before undergoing further surgery.

Want To Find Out More About Scar Revision?

Find out more about removing your scar on our scar removal page.
All of the surgeons at The Staiano Clinic are fully trained plastic surgeons and have extensive experience in managing scars and obtaining the best outcomes possible.
For more information, call us now on 0121-454 3680 to book a FREE consultation with a Consultant Plastic Surgeon or you can send us a photograph of your scar to [email protected] and we will get back to you with an idea of what can be achieved.

Shave Excision Mole
Have you got a mole?
Did you want to get it removed?
Not sure of what the best way to remove it is?

Formal excision vs shave excision?

You can read more about mole removal at The STAIANO Clinic here.
In this video Jonathan discusses the different ways plastic surgeons can remove your mole. He talks about shave and formal excision as techniques of removing your mole and discusses the benefits and risks of having each of these.
He also talks about the criteria your mole must fulfil to have each of these procedures, for example a skin lesion will only be shaved if it is benign. If you are unsure if your mole is benign, we have information on when you should worry about a mole here.

If you would like to see how shave excision of a mole is performed, then you can watch LIVE surgery being performed in this video:

This is a before and after example of a shave excision of a mole on the forehead:

This is a before and after example of a formal excision of a mole on the forehead:

 

We hope you found this helpful and if you would like any more information, please email us or call us on 0121 454 3680.