Mole Removal and Skin Tags Philadelphia PA South Jersey NJ
I am sure you have been in this situation — you’re in a public place and notice a person you see with an unpleasant looking growth, skin tag or mole on his/her face. Try as you might, you cannot help but stare at the mole or skin tag you see. Often we may remember someone more for the growth they had than for the conversation we had with them!
Our eyes are drawn to things that are irregular or deviate from the norm and so we notice facial imperfections quite readily. People can be afflicted with many kinds of skin growths and medically speaking these growths or skin tags may have medical names like nevus, papilloma, cysts, xanthelasma or keratosis. Growths on the face and around the eyes form for many reasons including aging and sun exposure. The most important factor from a medical standpoint is whether a growth is dangerous in some way — in other words, is it a skin cancer of some kind. I am extremely cautious regarding all growths and often send any worrisome mole, cyst or keratosis that I remove for a biopsy to assure that it is not dangerous.
But even if a growth is not a skin cancer it can cause symptoms like irritation, itching, or discomfort. Often patients complain that they feel the need to rub or scratch the areas where growths occur. And from an appearance standpoint, growths on the face can be very unsightly. For women it is often extremely difficult or impossible to use makeup to cover up raised or large moles or skin tags. The removal of growths on the face is a medically covered procedure only if there is a concern for skin cancer or infection. The vast majority of growths I remove are cosmetic in nature as they are unappealing or just don’t look nice in photographs and according to insurance they are not “medically necessary”.
I have included a picture of one of my patients that had numerous growths on the eyelids and face that I removed in the office. I think you will agree that there is a remarkable improvement in his appearance once the moles and skin tags are removed. He was treated in the office in a virtually pain-free manner and healed beautifully in a short few weeks. So many of my patients like him are fearful having a doctor treat and work so close to their eyes.
This is one of the most common reasons patients come to see me — when other eye doctors, plastic surgeons and dermatologists are unable or unwilling to work close to the delicate structures of the eye or other delicate areas of the face. Patients travel great distances to see me for these challenging cosmetic conditions — and I serve the Philadelphia, PA, Main Line, and South Jersey, NJ region for mole removal, skin tags, cysts, keratoses, xanthelasma and other growths of the face.
Each person and each growth is unique, but as a Board-Certified Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon, I can almost always remove growths in a pain-free manner and I strive for the least noticeable scar or mark. It’s time to have people look at you for who you are and not for the growths you may have!
