In this video Jonathan discusses mole removal here at the Staiano Clinic and the option to have a see and treat service for this procedure. This means your consultation is the same day as your procedure.
If you would like any more information on our see and treat service you can call us on 0121 454 3680 or email on [email protected]. You can also download our mole guide here to get more information on mole removal itself.
Histology is when we analyse parts of the body by putting them under the microscope.
It is performed by a specialist type of doctor called a histopathologist and is often done in a laboratory which may not be located in the hospital. Samples are often sent away for analysis and usually take days or weeks to be processed.
Histology allows an accurate diagnosis to be made of the type of tissue and perhaps most importantly, whether it is cancerous or not and if it is cancerous, whether the cancer has been completely removed.
You see, when we are doing surgery and we remove parts of the body, there is always the question as to whether we send it away for histology or not.
For instance, if I am doing a tummy tuck there is no need to send the skin and fat away for histology because there is very little chance of there being anything abnormal about it.
However, when doing a breast reduction we routinely send the tissue away for histology because the risk of breast cancer in the general population is very high.
For minor procedures such as removal of moles, cysts or skin tags, we need to decide whether we send the lesion away for histology or not.
Obviously if there are any concerns about the mole such as a change in size, shape or, colour or any bleeding or itching, then there is no question that it should be sent away for histology.
Often patients have moles, cysts or skin tags which are simply a nuisance and have always been present and they are not concerned they might be cancerous but they just want them removed for cosmetic or functional reasons.
In these situations, they may not always need to be sent away for histology.
Certainly, if it is a brown mole it is usually good practice to send these for histology, even if they look totally fine because it is always good to have a record of this.
However, if it is a simple skin tag or an cyst then histology is not necessarily essential.
There are some types of moles which you can tell by looking at are nothing to worry about.
These are things like seborrheic keratoses which are brown flat warty lesions which have a stuck-on appearance and appear later in life.
Seborrhoeic Keratosis on shoulder shown at 1 week post removal at The Staiano Clinic
Or intradermal naevi which are raised, sometimes brown, sometimes fleshy moles which can have dark hairs growing from them. They appear in areas of friction such as at the back of the neck and they can also appear on the face and they can be troublesome in men as they catch when they shave.
This is an Intradermal Naevus beside the nose shown at 6 weeks after removal at The Staiano Clinic
If it is possible to say with certainty that a mole is nothing to worry about, then it does not need to be sent for histology but this is only something we can do after discussion, which is why we offer free consultations for mole assessments.
Sometimes patients send us photographs of their lesions (you can email them to us here) and we can give them an idea prior to attending the clinic what will be involved in removing it.
If you come in for a see and treat procedure then it is always worthwhile to send us a photo or have a discussion with us beforehand to avoid any surprises when you arrive.
If you have any moles or lesions that are troublesome, I would always encourage you to get them checked out.
We offer a free consultation with one of our surgeons if you are simply looking for assurance and if you want the lesion removed on the day of consultation then we can accommodate this too in our state of the art minor operating theatre.
Contact us on: 0121 454 3680, email us or like our Facebook page as our director, Jonathan Staiano has a Q&A every Tuesday night at 7pm where he can answer your questions live.
If you are worried about your mole, then you can download our guide with what to look out for below:
All surgery will leave a mark or scar of some sorts whether it be having a mole cut out or shaved or having a lesion scraped or having something removed by laser. All of these things will damage the skin and cause some form of scarring. The scarring is usually quite red and obvious to start off with and it is how the scarring is managed that can often make the difference between a good scar and a bad scar.
The first step in obtaining a good scar is to plan where the scar is going to lie and this is something we as plastic surgeons spend a lot of time studying in order to hide scars as much as possible. There are natural lines, skin creases and shadows all over the body and plastic surgeons will exploit these in order to leave as little a trace as possibly that anything has been done. The next step is to use meticulous surgical technique and we are trained to minimise the handling of the tissues and to use fine instruments so that this normal skin is damaged as little as possible to improve the healing. The technique of suturing a wound is an art in itself and it takes many years to learn the techniques to bring the edges together to maximise the contact and the quality of the resulting scar. It is important that the wound is not closed under any tension and so we use techniques to support the wound using deep sutures or occasionally by moving tissue around to move the tension from one area to another in order to maximise the chances of good wound healing and resulting scars.
It is important that scars are supported in the initial phases which is why we often use deeper layers of sutures to reinforce the wound. Tapes and dressings can help although these can often be kept light and the wound is to be kept clean. Scars on the face are often left exposed and we will often dress these simply with antibiotic ointment. We try to use waterproof dressings when possible, which means that you can wash and shower immediately.
The classic hatched appearance of a scar with a straight line and dots on the other side as seen in Popeye is something we try and avoid and the dots are caused by sutures being left in long enough to cause a scar of their own. For this reason we will avoid leaving sutures in too long and so on the trunk will often use dissolvable sutures which are buried and you cannot see and on the face we will remove sutures early, around five to seven days. In some cases the wound healing is more important than the quality of the resulting scar and so there may be incidences where it will be reasonable to leave the stitches in for longer to make sure the wound stays together. It is important to avoid too much activity around the scar to allow the wound to heal and to avoid stretching of the scar.
All scars will be red and quite obvious to start off with and can take some months before they start to fade. Moisturise and massage of the scar will help them to fade and there are lots of products available such as Bio Oil, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera which can be used to massage the scars once they have had a chance to heal. The scar will be red and obvious for the first three to six months and while it is red and obvious it is important to avoid the sun because if you get a suntan on a red scar while it is still active then when you lose the suntan the scar will stay pigmented and you will end up with a brown scar. This does not mean that you cannot go into sunny climates but it does mean that you should keep your scar covered while you are out in the sun and this can mean high protection sun block, tape or simply wearing a wide-brimmed hat or clothes over the scar to avoid getting a tan on that area. Most scars will settle by a year although it can take longer.
For more advice feel free to get in touch. You can call us on 0121-454 3680 or contact us through the website. I do a live Q&A on Facebook every Tuesday at 7pm. It would be great to see you there and I would be happy to answer any queries.
If you want to know which are the skin moles to worry about, then look no further.
Moles are usually circular, brown harmless patches of skin which generally tend to form on the back, legs, arms and face, at birth or before the age of 30.
Sometimes moles are not innocuous or harmless and some patients opt to get them removed.
Many people who visit our clinic wish to have a mole removed for cosmetic purposes.
Moles can spring up in inconvenient, sometimes embarrassing places (such as your face and neck) whereas other people have had moles since birth or childhood and have decided to finally get rid of them.
Equally, many patients visit the clinic because they are worried about a change in a mole and would rather be safe than sorry.
This is a good policy!
In rare cases, moles can also develop into melanomas and can cause an aggressive form of skin cancer.
If caught early, the malignant moles can be removed with surgery and often the cancer does not return.
Generally, if a mole changes size, shape or colour, becomes itchy or starts swelling or bleeding, you should get it checked out. A useful guide is following your ABCDE.
A stands for asymmetry. Moles should remain circular and symmetrical. It should not be smaller or bigger on one side.
B stands for border irregularity. Moles with a ragged, or uneven border show irregularity and could be cause for concern.
C stands for colour change. Melanomas have lots of different shades. A healthy mole should only have one or two shades.
D stands for diameter. Most moles are not larger than the width of a pencil. If a mole gets any larger, it is probably not only irritating, but it is also a cause for concern.
E stands for elevated. If your mole is raised more than it was before, you need to keep a close eye on it.
It’s important to remember that skin cancer is relatively rare. However, it is important to check your moles regularly and if you have any cause for concern, don’t hesitate to get it checked out.
If you would like a copy of our guide on ‘when you should worry about a mole’ click here.
You can find details about our mole clinic here:
We run a Free Mole Clinic so you can book in for a free 15 minute consultation if you would like to have a discussion about your options.
We also offer a ‘see & treat’ service, where you can have your mole removed on the same day as your consultation. Ask about this when booking.
Call now on 0121-454 3680 or fill in a contact form and we will get back to you.
You can see our Director, JJ Staiano, talk about ‘should I have my mole removed?’ in this video from one of our LIVE Q&A’s that we have on Facebook every Tuesday at 7pm
#askjj
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Jonathan is on a one man crusade to revolutionise the image of cosmetic surgery and is passionate about spreading his message about cosmetic surgery training.