Mole and Skin Lesion Removal in Somerset West

A mole that has changed, keeps bleeding or catches on your clothes is worth taking off, and so is any lesion a doctor is not happy with. At West-Med The Sanctuary in Somerset West, every mole or skin lesion is assessed by one of our doctors before it is removed, taken off in-rooms under local anaesthetic when that is the right approach, and sent to the laboratory for histology. You leave knowing not only that it is gone, but what it was.

When should a mole come off?

Most moles are harmless and can stay where they are. Removal makes sense when a mole:

• is changing in size, shape or colour
• bleeds, itches or crusts without an obvious reason
• catches on clothing, jewellery or a razor
• worries a doctor who has examined it

The ABCDE warning signs

• Asymmetry: one half does not match the other.
• Border: the edges are ragged, notched or blurred.
• Colour: several shades of brown or black, or patches of red, white or blue.
• Diameter: larger than about 6 mm, although a melanoma can be smaller.
• Evolving: any change in size, shape, colour, height or symptoms.

One of these signs does not mean a mole is cancerous, but it does mean a doctor should look at it.

How mole removal works

1. Assessment and dermoscopy: your doctor examines the mole under a dermatoscope and decides whether it needs to come off, and how.
2. Removal: under local anaesthetic, in one of three ways. A shave removal takes a raised mole off level with the skin. A punch removal lifts out a small lesion with a tiny circular blade. An excision cuts out the whole lesion with a margin of normal skin and closes the wound with stitches. Your doctor explains which suits your mole.
3. Histology: the tissue goes to the laboratory, where a pathologist examines it under a microscope.
4. Results and aftercare: we contact you with your results, check the wound and take out any stitches. If histology shows a skin cancer, we explain the result and plan the next step in treatment.

Medical removal, not cosmetic

We do not laser off or burn away a mole that has not been checked, and we send what we remove for histology. Destroying a mole without a sample means nobody can ever confirm what it was, and a melanoma treated that way can be missed. If you simply want a harmless mole gone, it is still assessed first.

Aftercare and scarring

Keep the wound clean and dry for the first day or two, then follow the written instructions you are given. If you have stitches, they come out at a short follow-up visit after about one to two weeks, depending on where the mole was. Every removal leaves a mark: a shave removal usually leaves a small flat or pale patch, and an excision a fine line that fades over the following months. Keep the healing skin out of the sun, which can darken a new scar.

Medical aid and costs

Removal for a medical reason, such as a changing or suspicious mole, may be covered by your medical aid depending on your scheme and plan, and the laboratory bills separately for histology. See whether we accept your scheme with our medical aid checker, and ask reception for a quote if you are paying yourself.