Hi Moms - need some feedback please! My daughter (19) has a raised mole above her upper lip that she would like to have removed over Christmas break. I'm wondering if she needs to see a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist for this. I'd like to have some direction before I start calling around to get an appointment. Thanks for any insight you may be able to give me.
Thanks Moms for your responses - the feedback seemed pretty much split down the middle between dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Interesting. Gives me some food for thought! I am going to call our pediatrician on Monday to see what he has to say about it.
Dear M., I am not a doctor and I have not seen the mole but my dermatologist has removed all of mine. It is quick, not totally painless but I think the Christmas week will be a good time to do it. Make an appointment and the dr will tell you if it can be done. I know this will do wonders for her self esteem. Happy Thanksgiving, Grandma Mary
I have a great dermatologist right in your town. Dr. Robert Paltzik on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park.
I think you should start with a dermatologist with a surgical practice. But you might make an inquiry with your insurance company about coverage. Sometimes they will view a visit to a plastic surgeon as a cosmetic procedure and not pay for it. But ask the dermatologist about cosmetic results since it will be on her face above her lip. They will probably biopsy it--insurance is funny-sometimes it will pay and sometimes it won't) If there are special circumstances, he may refer you to a plastic surgeon. I had a raised mole removed off my top lip several years ago (they are usually not cancerous) and they told me they can sometimes grow back. It did --about a year later, but it is flat and a lot smaller. Good luck!
i've had a couple facial moles removed by my dermatologist, but it is usually during a scheduled check-up. some dermatologists don't do the in office "surgeries". i would call the people nearest you, that take your ins., that have a good reputation etc. and see what they say is your best bet. also make sure whoever removes it gets it tested. good luck!
M.,
I would take her to the dermatologist so he/she can find out what kind of mole it is and the course of action. Not all the moles are the same and they merit different treatment. This happen to my co-worker, she went to one dermatologist that did a treatment which didn't work, and when she saw a second dermatologist she told her that they did the wrong treatment, she laser it out and now it's gone. So, just take her to a dermatologist first, and see what the outcome is. They'll tell you if it's best to see a plastic surgeon as well.
Blessings
I just talked to my regular family doctor on the multiple removals I've had done. He was more than willing to do the simple procedure, however if the mole is directly on the lip cuff, I would suggest first speaking to your regular family doctor about a referral if he/she isn't comfortable doing it.
plastic surgeon, plastic surgeon, plastic surgeon. It is a removal that could go either way and plastic surgeons atre trained in mole removal without scarring. No question in my mind!
Hi. I think since it's on the face, I would have a plastic surgeon perform the surgery. Good luck.
Hi~~
You would want a dermatoligst. You are going to need to have all margins cut and removed. He/she can also test it to make sure it is begnign. Dr. Stuart Levine...I believe he has an office in Brooklyn and in the Hamptons. Highly recommended!!!!
Good Luck!!!!
I'd think a dermatologist first. Just to make sure that it is nothing to be concerned about since it is raised. Maybe the dermatologist can even remove it? My friend had one removed a few years ago and it wasnt by a plastic surgeon.
Definitely have the mole removed by a plastic surgeon. I had a mole removed from my nose by a plastic surgeon and you can't even tell. I've had moles removed from my back by a dermatologist and have a lot of scarring. The amount of scarring you have depends on many things -- including the nature of your own skin -- but for a face mole, I would definitely go to a plastic surgeon to make sure any scarring was minimal.
Plastic surgeon. Both my eye doctor and my dermatologist warned me there would be scarring when removing moles and skin tags, especially on the face.
I used a plastic surgeon & was thankful! Since this is on her face, that would be my recommendation.....
My regular doctor has done mine right in theoffice and I have no scaring from any of them; however, being this is her face I would talk to him and see if he feels confident or id a plastic surgeon is needed
dermatologist- they can do it in their office. She might have to have a referral from her doctor for it to be covered by insurance. I have had 3 removed- one left a pretty big scar(the others not really noticeable). Talk with your doc about it- he/she should be able to recommend a good one. Now that I think about it- they might have a different procedure for ones on the face- mine were on my arm, chest, neck and back. They just gave me a numbing shot and cut them off- only one required stitches, the others they just bandaged up. And it HURTS after the numbing stuff wears off!
~C.
Start with going to a dermatologist, if he/she feels it needs to be removed by a plastic surgeon then he will say so. I had what I thought was a mole but it turned out to be a neurofibroma, my dermatologist sent me to a plastic surgeon.
