Mole, skin tag & growth removal

Will mole, skin tag or growth removal leave a scar?
With cryotherapy, you may notice temporary pigmentation changes but scarring is infrequent. Electrodessication may leave small white marks.

What is cryotherapy?
The doctor sprays liquid nitrogen directly onto the skin lesion to freeze it. Liquid nitrogen is easy to apply, requires no anesthesia, and rarely leaves a scar after the area has healed.

Once your skin has been frozen with liquid nitrogen, you’ll likely feel a stinging or burning sensation that peaks about two minutes after the treatment, as your skin thaws. You’ll experience some redness and swelling, then 2-24 hours later, a blister will form. After a couple of days, it will crust over and fall off. Healing occurs within 7-14 days.

For more information about cryotherapy, please see our section on wart removal.

What is electrodessication?
Electrodessication involves selective destruction of individual skin growths by dehydrating cells. The lesion is destroyed by bursts of an electric current applied by Dr. Nield. Immediately after a treatment, the growth will develop a grey/white crust and may have surrounding redness and mild swelling. The crust will darken within a day, and depending on the location, will heal in 3 to 7 days.

For moles and large skin tags, we use local anesthetic. The lesion is then shaved off and the area is cauterized until bleeding stops. The crust will heal in 7 to 14 days and there will be some redness that will fade with time. There will be a small residual scar. Very rarely, a keloid or excess scar tissue develops, often the result of a hereditary condition. Overall, most individuals are very pleased with the final cosmetic result.