LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hi Dr. Lam,

I have been following this forum and your work for a while now. I had a question about facial mole removal. I have a large, brown raised mole on my cheek (it is about the size of a pencil eraser), and several other smaller moles on my face (2 are slightly raised, the rest are flat). I have seen a dermatologist, and he said that the moles were not cancerous. He said he could excise the larger one, but he said that since I have ethnic skin (although I am quite fair), he wasn't sure what the scarring would be like. Further, he said for the 2 smaller raised moles, he'd have to shave them, and that might leave an indentation in my skin. I didn't go ahead with the procedure because I wanted to seek other opinions before I commit to a doctor.

I would just really like to get these moles removed, and you seem to be an excellent person to do the job. I was just wondering what your opinion is, albeit I know it is hard to gauge given that you have not yet seen me. I can also send pictures if you would like.

Thanks in advance!

hi,
first of all, i only work on moles for patients who live in or near dallas. the reason is that i oftentimes have to do a lot of postoperative care to make sure everything heals well. i believe that success is predicated 50% on good surgery and 50% good after care. Photos may help but ultimately I would have to see them in person to make absolute certainty. In general, what your dermatologist said is accurate. what i typically do is shave lesions first in many cases to shrink the size of the needed excision or to avoid it with the full knowledge that i may leave some behind or an indentation. then i come back and excise them. in ethnic skin the recovery can be longer and sometimes it is just not worth it because you will always have a line there. i always judge each mole as a unique entity factoring in shape, color, size, location, other moles, age, gender, ethnicity, skin quality, etc. to determine if it is worth the trade off. again, a personal consultation would be needed and it would be for someone who lives in or near dallas so that i can offer proper postoperative care.

Hi Dr. Lam,

Thank you very much for your response. I live in Canada, however, I have a family member living in the States, with whom I can live with for as long as necessary to receive adequate post-op care. Judging from your responses on this forum, I know that you appreciate that any type of surgery or scarring on the face can be debilitating if it is performed incorrectly. Proper post-op care is just as important to me, and I don't know many doctors who take such care as you do with facial mole removal. Thus, I can justify any costs that will be associated with me traveling frequently or seeking medical treatments in the U.S. Ultimately, when it comes to operating on the face, I don't think that one should put a price on good quality care (I've heard way too many horror stories).

I hope you consider this and feel comfortable booking me for a consult. Please let me know.

Thank you.

Also, I do understand and appreciate that proper post-op care is a long-term process spanning a year or longer, and I did take that into consideration when writing my previous response.

perfect!