You are here:
- Home
- Health/Fitness
- Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- awkward mole on lip, question about removal
Plastic Surgery/awkward mole on lip, question about removal
Advertisement
Question
Hi, since 3 years ago I had this mole appear on my bottom lip, since then it has grown in size and is now pretty big round and dark. The doctor checked it out and said its okay and theirs no chance of cancer. My friend told me to get it removed by a laser, would you please give me information about getting the mole on my lip removed laser surgically, and the possible side effects and harms it can cause on my lip, ok thanks
Dear Jay,
Thanks for writing to me. There's lots more info about plastic surgery at my sit, www.bodysculpture.com.
Despite the hope that lasers can magically remove growths without leaving scars, the larger issue is that there are two main ways of removing raised moles: you can "shave" them off (ie, cut them off to make them flush with the skin level) or excise them (cut them out completely). The first method is the simplest and is appropriate if the mole is raised. The second removes the mole completely, but results in a longer scar. Ideally, all scars are thin and flat, but it doesn't always work out that way, so it's smarter to proceed with the first method and then, if you're unhappy with the result, the second (since you cannot obviously do it the other way around). Whether the growth is removed by a scalpel, scissors or laser does not any difference, in my opinion, for moles such as these. It's fine to use a laser, but it's not necessarily better than "cold steel" - and it can cause burns, deeper scarring, redness, etc.
I hope that this helps, and good luck,
Dr. E
www.bodysculpture.com
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Alan M. Engler, MD, FACS
Expertise
Dr. Engler has answered over 3100 questions as a volunteer expert for AllExperts. His expertise includes breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts, skin cancers, cysts, etc. Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction." Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (search for "DR. ENGLER"), and his discussion of breast implants, also on YouTube is "How to Choose a Breast Implant." His website is www.bodysculpture.com. Thanks for "Likiing" Dr. Engler on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Alan-M-Engler-MD-New-York-Plastic-Surgery-and-Aesthetics/107206405967267?ref=ts&__a=8
Experience
Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.
Education/Credentials
Dr. Engler graduated from Yale University (BA, Russian Studies) and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (MD). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and is a Special Lecturer in the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University in New York. He has admitting privileges at Beth Israel Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center, both in New York.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.