Mole Removal: How long is recovery time?

[kyparrish]

Just wondering if anybody might have some info to help me out...

My wife had 2 moles removed (she says they were cut, not frozen). The dermatologist told her to dress the scars with vaseline covered with a band-aid. The procedure was 5 days ago and there is really no improvement with the scars. The dermatologists office doesn't open until Tuesday, so she can't call till then.

Do you think the doctor was supposed to prescribe some antibiotics or special healing cream or something?

 

[olds]

Vitamin E

 

[yosuke188]

I'm getting 2 moles removed in about 2 weeks... this makes me worried.

 

[TechnoPro]

It depends on several factors. Different parts of the body heal at quicker rates, and to varying degress. The back, for example, has the worst scarring attributes. Also, depending on how deep the mole was beneath the surface of the skin, that will also determine healing time.

Having worked in a plastic surgeon's office, I learned of a "miracle" product: Mederma. It's rather expensive, but when diligently applied (3-4 times daily) with massage, it can result in a dramatic reduction in scarring.

 

[cyclistca]

Did she get stitches? I had a pretty large one removed earlier this year. Can't even notice where they removed it. Sorry but can not remember how long it took to heal. Certainly didn't put anything more then a band aid on it.

 

[aidanjm]

take some multivitamins? zinc especially is required for quick wound healing. Get some TwinLab Zinc Picolinate for rapid absorption.

 

[kyparrish]

She had them removed from the stomach. She'd love to try one of these products, but the skin is still raw and is worried about it burning. She's already complaining of a burning/pain feeling. Is this normal?

Don't mean to worry others, she has very sensitive skin and I'm sure your procedure will be fine. Ask your doctor all the questions beforehand. She was not expecting to have this done and didn't think to ask a lot of questions.

 

[kyparrish]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
take some multivitamins? zinc especially is required for quick wound healing. Get some TwinLab Zinc Picolinate for rapid absorption.

Is this product over the counter?

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: kyparrish

Originally posted by: aidanjm
take some multivitamins? zinc especially is required for quick wound healing. Get some TwinLab Zinc Picolinate for rapid absorption.

Is this product over the counter?

it should be available in any health food store, maybe some supermarkets.

you could look for any multivitamin/ mineral product where the zinc is in the form of "zinc picolinate" - it is better abosrbed than other forms of zinc like "zinc gluconate" etc. Usuallty it is the better quality vitamin brands that use zinc picolinate in their products. Like TwinLab, Solgar, etc. It's probably best to pop into a health food store if you can't see it in a supermarket.


edit: I always load up on zinc if I am going to have a procedure where the skin will be cut, seems to make it heal quicker.

 

[aidanjm]

What is the vaseline for? Just to stop the skin from drying out? I suppose you could switch from vaseline to a cream with vitamin E or Vitamin A, which are supposed to be useful for wound healing. Just another thought. Altho I think taking a multivitamin internally would be the most important thing.

 

[Legend]

Zinc, MSM (Topical and oral), Vitamin C, Glycolic Acid (topical) + sunscreen

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: kyparrish
She had them removed from the stomach. She'd love to try one of these products, but the skin is still raw and is worried about it burning. She's already complaining of a burning/pain feeling. Is this normal?

Don't mean to worry others, she has very sensitive skin and I'm sure your procedure will be fine. Ask your doctor all the questions beforehand. She was not expecting to have this done and didn't think to ask a lot of questions.

The stomach is a tricky place for healing. Even with a relatively small excision, the pain and burning sensations are normal. Scarring takes a while to go away - the wound itself must heal first. Once healed, she can then apply creams and the like should she so wish. It goes without saying, but one of the most inportant thing is to keep the area clean and not to obsessisevly "play" with it (remove the bandage and check it out constantly).

 

[Bateluer]

The lost mole I had removed recovered in a matter of days. To be fair though, it was on the middle of my back, so 'recovered' means I no longer felt any discomfort from it.

 

[yosuke188]

Originally posted by: TechnoPro

Originally posted by: kyparrish
She had them removed from the stomach. She'd love to try one of these products, but the skin is still raw and is worried about it burning. She's already complaining of a burning/pain feeling. Is this normal?

Don't mean to worry others, she has very sensitive skin and I'm sure your procedure will be fine. Ask your doctor all the questions beforehand. She was not expecting to have this done and didn't think to ask a lot of questions.

The stomach is a tricky place for healing. Even with a relatively small excision, the pain and burning sensations are normal. Scarring takes a while to go away - the wound itself must heal first. Once healed, she can then apply creams and the like should she so wish. It goes without saying, but one of the most inportant thing is to keep the area clean and not to obsessisevly "play" with it (remove the bandage and check it out constantly).

Dang I'm having one removed from my stomach area

I guess I will heed all the advice given here.

 

[henryay]

I'm curious, what does it cost to remove one of these?

 

[Atomicus]

I got one near the side of my lip... scarring would leave a gap in my mustache line so I opted out many times

 

[waggy]

I had a mole removed from my neck about a year or so ago. the stiches poped out so i had a open wound. that lasted a little over a week.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: henryay
I'm curious, what does it cost to remove one of these?

The procedure can be looked at in two ways: cosmetic (or removal for purely aesthetic reasons), or medical (pre-cancerous, etc.).

Insurance will not cover the former. But, if this mole is painful, and other wise causes discomfort or health issues (like it's near your eye or in a funny place), it can be considerd a procedure of medical neccesaity, and you might be covered.

Otherwise, thr plastic surgeons I used to work with charged $300 each, or up to 5 at a time for $500.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: TechnoPro
It depends on several factors. Different parts of the body heal at quicker rates, and to varying degress. The back, for example, has the worst scarring attributes. Also, depending on how deep the mole was beneath the surface of the skin, that will also determine healing time.

Having worked in a plastic surgeon's office, I learned of a "miracle" product: Mederma. It's rather expensive, but when diligently applied (3-4 times daily) with massage, it can result in a dramatic reduction in scarring.

How late can one apply the Mederma after mole removal to still see any benefit from it? I had a mole removed at the very end of June that left a noticeable scar. Would it be too late to do anything to improve the scar's appearance?

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: TechnoPro
It depends on several factors. Different parts of the body heal at quicker rates, and to varying degress. The back, for example, has the worst scarring attributes. Also, depending on how deep the mole was beneath the surface of the skin, that will also determine healing time.

Having worked in a plastic surgeon's office, I learned of a "miracle" product: Mederma. It's rather expensive, but when diligently applied (3-4 times daily) with massage, it can result in a dramatic reduction in scarring.

How late can one apply the Mederma after mole removal to still see any benefit from it? I had a mole removed at the very end of June that left a noticeable scar. Would it be too late to do anything to improve the scar's appearance?

6 months is the typical cutoff so you're in the clear. Keep in mind that the product needs to be applied 3-4 times daily with massage of the area. Spreading a little bit on once a day will not yield acceptable results.

 

[kyparrish]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. We'll get her on some multivitamins and hopefully by the time a week or two is up, she'll be fine.