Mole removal for teens

[AppleGarden]

My dd is only 12 atm. She has a few small flat moles on her face since she was about 8. I think they are about 1mm to 2 mm so not very big. We did use suncream most of the times in summers but still couldn’t avoid them. Different gps have different options whether they were related to sun exposure. Inevitably I feel guilty as not knowing whether it was my fault for not providing her with enough sunscreen. Anyway I think they affect her confidence a bit. I want hear from people who had taken their dcs to plastic surgeons to remove their facial moles or if yourself had yours done while you were younger. Of course my worry is if the scars will turn out worse than the moles.

Hi I was around 22 when I decided to get my mole on my face removed. I visited a private clinic and opted for laser mole removal. Laser removal is less likely to cause scarring and apart from the injection it was painless. Sorry that I don’t have experience as a child but hopefully this helps.

Thanks Newmummy, but 22 still very young. May I ask was your mole flat? Also some people said laser mole removal is not permanent as the mole may grow back after several years.

They tend to grow back anyway. I have had several removed with scalpel at Gp. Scars not noticeable.

Thanks Haggisfish, so have your grown back? I thought if people had them cut out they never grow back. Were yours flat and small? Sorry for soundIng very personal but I really want to help my dd to find the best method to go about this. I would find a good plastic surgeon if necessary. Rather saving for longer for a good result.

@AppleGarden Yeh my mole was flat, I was told that the mole could come back. I’ve had it removed for 10 years and it’s still looking great.

Actually sole of the flat ones have only sort of very slowly reappeared and a lot smaller than before. Reappeared over about fifteen years. The raised ones have grown back but again a lot smaller.

I would seek advice from Gp as a start-they may refer you.

I had two flat moles removed from my face by laser 16 years ago and they haven't come back. I had been self conscious of them for years and the removal was so painless and quick I wish I'd done it ten years earlier. I went to a plastic surgeon called Jan Stanek in Harley Street.

Thanks ladies for sharing your personal experience. We had visited the gp already he suggested that we go to the skin clinic. But she will not be accepted until she s at least 16yo. We can try different private hospital. I promise dd that I will take her there when she s 18. I hope the sun cream would make them fade away (wishful thinking!). Just a lot of mixed information out there.
May I ask do you ladies wear sun cream everyday all year round?

I promise dd that I will take her there when she s 18

Was she worried about them before you took her to the GP and made promises to take her to private clinics?

I have two moles on my face which I was never bothered about until my mum started hunting around to get them removed.

Not helped by a GP looking and saying “yes, they are rather unsightly” before referring me to plastics.

Worse was they can’t remove them as the scarring would be much worse.

So i went from barely even noticing them to feeling really self conscious and thinking they were ugly, but without the option to do anything.

If they are bothering you, not her, leave them be until she says something.

Sun wise I am very moley anyway. So I avoid it as much as possible. If you’re prone to moles the sun can bring them out, so I’d start teaching her pale is beautiful :)

Hi bluebluezoo, I m 100% with you. I hadn’t noticed them for a few years. Only until she pointed them out to me. I looked back on the photos then I saw that they were there since she was about 8. Partly I was always busy and also I don’t wear glasses at home most of the times so hadn’t noticed them. We don’t mention about her moles at home not at all. It was herself said that she will get rid of them when she s old enough. So they do bother her. So I want to help her to find a good place to have it done safely if she decides to go ahead. But we never talk about her moles. In fact we never comment on anyone’s appearance or looks. We may comment on people’s clothes but never about people’s bodies.

I don’t wear sun cream all year round. I’ve got quite a few moles on my back so as soon as they are on show, I make sure I use a high factor of sun cream.

I was very ignorant about sun and moles before. But then even different doctors seem to have different options.

You might like to point out they are considered very attractive in Italy apparently and moles and freckles often get much more numerous in pregnancy -another thing no one told me!

I know. Sun exposure was just one of the many reasons that people could develop moles.

@Huggisfish, still do you think it s worth though they have retuned. Were they all on your face?

You need to take DD to a dermatologist first, not a plastic surgeon. There is more to moles than just appearance. Only after a dermatologist gives her a once over would I consider removal for cosmetic reasons.

My DS had a few moles which I was concerned about. I took him to a dermatologist who referred him to outpatient surgery to have three moles removed from his back which I hadn't been concerned about at all.

Had 2 slightly raised ones Lazer removed when I was 19, I'm now 40
And they've both been back for several years, as big as before. The scars prior to regrowth were like a chicken pox mark.

@ mathanxiety, thanks we will first see a gp and a dermatologist. The problem is many gps don’t seem to give indepth advice. Though nhs is a very wonderful thing but I feel we are in a rush every time.
Thanks peacequiet, would you have prefer the scars?

I’m glad I had mine off, yes.

Yes and not just that but you are wasting your (very brief) time with a GP when it comes to moles. They don't have the expertise a dermatologist brings to bear.

@ mathanxiety, did you pay to see a private dermatologist?

My GP refers me every so often to dermatology clinic for a mole check. They don’t bother body mapping mine because i have so many, but they check them under special lights for abnormalities.

I’ve had a few removed over the years, mainly for functional reasons, catching on clothes, becoming vascularised and bleeding etc. I’ve never had a cosmetic removal but the scars are fairly obvious on me.

I think i’d encourage her to avoid the sun and seek a referrL to a mole clinic when she’s older

I paid £200 to see a private dermatologist about a Mole I was worried about and he had a look at about five in total. None were worrisome. Had to wait about two weeks for an appt

My GP froze mine off with the liquid nitrogen. It stings like a needle being jab jab jabbed into you for 15 seconds and it’s over. The mole fell off and I found it floating in the bath. 🤢 It had a long clear root at the bottom of it which must have been its blood supply. Yuk.

I’ve since had the same done to a lump (Not a Mole) on my face but it was unsuccessful. It does hurt but only for 15 seconds. If they are too small the GP won’t do them in case he overlaps the stuff onto good skin and burns it.