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The Best Way to Get Rid of a Mole

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By eHow Contributing Writer
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Surgery is one option when it comes to mole removal.
Surgery is one option when it comes to mole removal.

So you want to get rid of that mole? There are several common ways to accomplish mole removal. These include the use of salicylic acid to burn off the mole, surgery, a punch biopsy or a simple freeze of the mole using liquid nitrogen.

    Salicylic Acid

  1. Consider using salicylic acid--a peeling agent. Its application to the skin causes the outer layer of that organ to shed wherever the acid comes into contact with it. As such, it is used to "burn" off moles as well as warts, corns, acne and even dandruff. This should be done by a qualified physician, of course.
  2. Surgery

  3. Mole removal surgery involves the anesthetizing of the mole area before one of usually three methods is used. There's the simple shaving off of the mole with a blade. This is often used when the mole is especially protruding. A second surgery is cauterization, which involves the literal burning off of the mole. A third surgery type, the excision method, entails removing the mole and some surrounding skin with a blade, then stitching up the skin. This last form of surgery is generally employed when the mole is suspected of being cancerous.
  4. Punch Biopsy

  5. You may want to consider a punch biopsy, which entails the use of a hole-punch-like device that cuts out a cylinder-shaped chunk of your skin--including the mole--leaving a small hole. The hole is subsequently sewn with stitches. The procedure leaves a small line-shaped scar.
  6. Liquid Nitrogen

  7. If simple is what you're looking for, liquid nitrogen may be your best bet. Using a liquid nitrogen "gun," a physician sprays the mole with liquid nitrogen for a prolonged period--typically from 20 to 90 seconds, depending on the size of the mole. This can be painful because the liquid nitrogen penetrates into the skin surrounding the mole. The purpose is simply to kill the cells in the mole. After about a week, the mole will simply fall off, usually after being bumped or scraped by something.
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