Everyone has at least a few moles here and there on their body. And, with the exception of Cindy Crawford, most people aren’t thrilled with their appearance.
Skin tags aren’t as prevalent as moles, but they’re even more despised.
At Deschutes, we can remove both of these annoying skin growths. Here’s some more information and how we remove them.
What are moles?
Moles are skin growths made up of melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, the pigment found in the skin, eyes, and hair. A mole can show up anywhere on your skin, going solo or in groups of moles. Most moles are brown in color, but they can also be blue, black, or flesh-colored. Most moles are harmless inhabitants of your epidermis, and they don’t cause any pain unless you bump them or they are constantly rubbing on something like your bra strap.
What are skin tags?
Skin tags don’t grow into a bump like a mole. Instead they sort of hang from the skin, attached by a thin stem. Skin tags most often grow on the neck, armpits, upper trunk, and in body folds. They are harmless and why they grow is a mystery.
To leave them or tell them to hit the door
Most moles and skin tags don’t need any attention. They’re not doing any damage and are in places that most people don’t see. Now, if a single mole looks different than your other moles, then the pros at Deschutes should take a look at it to check it for cancer. Otherwise, most moles and skin tags can be left to their own little existence.
But sometimes a mole or skin tag is in an unfortunate place. It’s ugly or is constantly getting bumped, rubbed, or caught in a necklace or other jewelry. So, now you want it off. How do we do that?
Removing moles and skin tags
At Deschutes, these are the ways we tell these growths to hit the road:
- Excision — That’s a fancy word for cutting it off. Skin tags can be snipped off easy enough with a scalpel or surgical scissors. Moles can be shaved to become flush with the adjacent skin, or, if they’re deeper they may require a deeper cut to remove it and keep it from returning.
- Freezing — We give theses growths the deep-freeze with liquid nitrogen. We either spray it or swab some onto the mole or skin tag and they retreat and die.
- Burning — This sounds painful, but it’s not really. We have this little tool that sends electric current down through a wire that becomes hot. This wire is used to burn the growth. With moles, a couple treatments may be necessary to remove them. With skin tags, we burn through the narrow stem and the heat usually prevents bleeding.
Don’t have that mole love that Cindy Crawford does? Call us at Deschutes, [primary_phone], and let’s take it off!
Recent Comments