Mole Removal Procedures
Doctors must learn how to properly remove a mole to achieve maximum benefit to the patient, assuring complete removal of the mole with minimal disruption to surrounding tissue while leaving the smallest possible visible scar. Doctors must also know how to preserve the mole for pathological examination for tissue type diagnosis. This is important to rule out or diagnose any form of skin cancer.
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Things You'll Need
- Antiseptic skin cleansing solution. Sterile gown, gloves, and draping supplies Surgical scalpel, scissors, forceps and needle holder Specimen container Surgical suture Sterile dressings
Instructions
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1
Position the patient in such a way to provide maximum exposure of the more to be removed. Plan the incision to be used to assure minimal scaring and adequate removal of the entire mole. Take into account any useful skin folds or lines that may hide the scar. The incision should be elliptical in shape to assure adequate closure of skin edges after mole removal. Outline the planned incision with a skin marker.
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2
Clean the area with an antiseptic solution. The area should spread well beyond the incision site. Don sterile gown and gloves before proceeding. Surround the incision area with sterile towels, sheets or surgical drape to create a sterile field.
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Infiltrate the incision lines and surrounding with a local anesthetic such as 1% Lidocaine. Lidocaine with epinephrine may be used to minimize bleeding during excision except when the mole is located on the tip of the nose, tips of the fingers or tip of the penis. Allow time for local anesthetic to take affect before proceeding.
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Perform a incision following the lines drawn earlier, using a #15 surgical scalpel. Continue the incision deep until the full thickness of the skin is incised and the underlying fat is exposed. Grasp the mole with fine surgical forceps and elevate. Using a fine tip surgical scissor, cut the underlying tissue remaining to remove the mole. Place the mole in a container for transport to the laboratory for examination.
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Approximate the subcutaneous tissue using a fine absorbable suture. Suture the skin closed, clean and apply a sterile dressing.
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Tips & Warnings
If the mole is suspicious for cancer a wider margin of surrounding skin and tissue is removed.
Make absolutely sure the correct patient is identified on the specimen.
