How nice to be the owner of a flirty fly over your lip! A small mole between the eyebrow and temple gives a special charm to the look … But, unfortunately, not every mole becomes an ornament. Some turn into a source of constant psychological discomfort, and sometimes even mortal danger …
Where do moles come from?
Out of habit, we call moles any dark and clearly defined spots on the skin. If the “mole” rises above the surface of the skin, then it is automatically ranked as a wart. Meanwhile, medicine knows more than 300 types of neoplasms, among which there are moles (nevi), papillomas, keratomas, cysts, warts, etc. The reasons for their appearance can be very different – from a hereditary predisposition and hormonal changes to the damaging effects of the sun or the effects of human hands, which, for example, were pinched by an acne. One way or another, only a doctor can determine what exactly “decorates” your face or body, why “it” appeared there and what to do with “it”!
Let us make a reservation right away, you should not risk your health: with any neoplasm on your face and body, you should not go to a beauty salon, but to a medical center. Skin formations, which are often perceived only as a cosmetic defect, require especially close attention of doctors and competent diagnosis, since they can degenerate into malignant. Therefore, the decision to remove, examine or treat should not be made by a cosmetologist, but by an oncodermatologist. We will talk about what methods of removal of neoplasms offer modern aesthetic medicine.
From surgery to laser
There are several options for getting rid of adversity: surgical, radiosurgical and laser methods, cryodestruction, electrocoagulation. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.
Surgical excision is a traditional method of removing neoplasms, it is still widespread and sometimes indispensable, for example, if you need to cope with a sufficiently deep or large skin formation. However, the intervention of the surgeon leaves a more or less noticeable mark on the skin.
Cryodestruction
The cryodestruction method is the use of liquid nitrogen. Its main advantage can be called that the tissue destroyed by cold is not removed, but remains in place, playing the role of a kind of “dressing” that covers and protects the wound from infection.
Healing of cryosurgical wounds is painless. After some time, a dry crust appears at the site of the removed formation, under which not a scar substitute for the epidermis grows, but healthy tissue. All this time, the wound does not need to be processed, and the crust can even be soaked several hours after the operation, which is very convenient, for example, when removing formations from the skin of the hands. On the face, cryodestruction is used less often. The fact is that this method may require a repeated procedure (especially in the case of removal of warts), and the time of rejection of the crust at the site of the operation is slightly longer than when removed by laser or electrocoagulation. True, sometimes it’s worth reconciling with these inconveniences for the sake of the quality of healing.
If at first the area covered with delicate tanned skin can still be seen on the skin, then over time it becomes impossible to distinguish the traces of cryosurgical intervention.
Most often, pigment spots, warts, keratomas or moles that do not protrude above the surface of the skin are removed by cryodestruction.
However, this method also has its drawbacks – it is not always possible to precisely control the depth of exposure. Therefore, the probability of a burn of surrounding tissues is not excluded, the result of which can be a scar. There is also the possibility that the neoplasm may not be completely eliminated, in which case a second procedure will be required.
The effectiveness of this method largely depends on the technical capabilities of the institution that provides the service. In many beauty salons, neoplasms are still relieved as follows: a cotton swab is dipped in liquid nitrogen and warts are removed, from one to the other, and so the virus is gradually spread. Much more effective is liquid nitrogen in the presence of an aerosol cryodestructor. Liquid nitrogen in the flask is supplied to the “destination” under very high pressure. The temperature of nitrogen in the flask is 196 degrees Celsius (and on a cotton swab 70 ° C, or even less, it cannot be measured). Due to such a low temperature of liquid nitrogen and high pressure, a neoplasm of any area can be destroyed.
Electrocoagulation
Electrocoagulation along with a laser is considered one of the most preferred methods for removing moles and papillomas on any part of the body, including on the face. Electric current causes volumetric thermal damage to the tissue around the removed area, a dry crust appears at the removal site. After its rejection, the skin may not leave a trace at all (if the formation was small and shallow), or a small depigmented spot may remain, which will disappear with time. The electrocoagulation method allows you to remove the neoplasm in one go, and samples of removed tissues can be used for additional analyzes. This method allows you to control the depth of exposure, but despite this, the risk of a more or less noticeable scar still remains.
Laser
To date, the method of removing skin lesions by laser is considered the most effective. The impact of the laser beam is very accurate due to its small diameter and fixed exposure depth. This allows you to minimize damage to surrounding tissue and achieve a good cosmetic effect, which is important when removing moles on the face and exposed parts of the body.
Education is removed in one go, and coagulation of the smallest blood vessels occurs, which makes the method almost bloodless. The tissue of the neoplasm simply evaporates, and healing takes place faster than with other methods of removal, since laser exposure triggers regeneration processes in the skin.
After removal of the formation by a laser or by electrocoagulation, a crust remains at the site of the operation. For several days, it should be protected from water and the effects of cosmetics, such as creams, lotions, and makeup. It is also not worth getting rid of the crust before the due date: it protects the wound from infection and the formation of scar tissue.
Removable moles of small size leave no trace, but in the place of deeper formations, a depigmented spot may also appear, which will disappear with time. In the summer months, this area of the skin will require additional protection from sunlight. And if in our latitudes the usual sunscreen will save you from trouble,
then under the active southern sun, a pigmented spot may appear in the place of the removed formation even with such protection.
Radio knife
You can remove the neoplasm and the method of radiosurgery. Radiosurgery has become a universal technique for doctors in dermatological and gynecological practice. This is an effective treatment for many formations, the use of which significantly reduces the time of surgery. The fabric can either be removed very carefully with an excellent cosmetic result, or completely dissected. By setting the desired waveform and power, you can make an incision, excision, coagulation or fulguration. This technique can be used in the treatment of both benign and malignant tumors. Removal is carried out using a special device – Surgitron (popularly – a radio knife). This device allows you to carry out various cosmetic procedures, almost without damaging healthy tissues. The method of radio wave surgery allows patients to avoid a difficult postoperative period. During the operation, the surgitron simultaneously cuts, stops the blood and disinfects the incision site, which is almost imperceptible. Removing a wart takes no more than three minutes. After the operation, the patient calmly leaves the center – there is practically no pain, swelling, ugly scars.
Local anesthesia is almost always used. Since the frequency used is very high, the current produced by the device passes through the body without causing painful muscle contractions or stimulation of nerve endings (Faraday effect).
A radiosurgical incision is performed without pressure on the tissue, with a gentle movement, minimizing tissue damage. If it does occur, then it is superficial, it can be compared with tissue damage during laser treatment. In addition, the radiosurgery technique completely eliminates electric burns. Instead of a ground plate, an antenna plate is used to focus the radio waves. Unlike electrosurgical devices, this plate does not need to come in contact with your skin, the doctor simply place it near the surgical field.
The high-frequency energy of the device is concentrated on the tip of the electrode. During the operation, the electrode itself does not heat up; however, highly concentrated energy causes the formation of molecular energy within each cell that
it crosses, causing tissue to heat and actually vaporize the cell.
Combination of ways
In some cases, a combination of several methods is more effective. The combination of aerosol cryodestruction with plasma coagulation is a universal method. Any neoplasm can be removed. First, it is exposed to liquid nitrogen — it is sprayed or an aerosol cryodestructor is applied by contact, and then the plasma coagulator is immediately applied to the cooled area. Due to the temperature difference, they achieve a good result. This sequence of the procedure is due to the fact that with the help of liquid nitrogen there is a powerful anesthesia. Doctors practicing this technique do not accept the usual injection anesthesia when removing viral formations, because they are sure that the swelling that occurs during anesthesia helps the virus spread to the surrounding tissues. The same technique eliminates the risk of spreading the virus. The procedure itself is quick and painless. After it, a crust appears, which should not be wetted and treated with cream and other cosmetics. After about a week, the crust will fall off itself, and a soft pink speck will remain, which will disappear with time.
By the way, this method is good for removing plantar warts. If other methods of removal require a rehabilitation period, since this is the most painful wart, then with the use of plasma coagulation, rehabilitation is not required.
Price for one
The cost of the procedure is not a trifle, because we pay for the removal of each wart or mole, regardless of their size. Removal of neoplasms in various centers of Moscow ranges from 100 rubles to 1.5 – 2 thousand rubles for each. It all depends on the pricing policy of the center or salon. Of course, the high price in itself does not guarantee a high quality service. If you are interested in an adequate “price-quality” ratio, you will have to call the institutions, ask about the price, technical capabilities and choose the right one.