I have a mole on my arm. It’s been there for 17 years. Doctors have said, repeatedly, that it’s totally harmless and there’s been no evidence to suggest they’re wrong: I’m not dead and the damn thing looks exactly the same as it always has.
But I want to get rid of it. I’ve always been self-conscious about it, and I’ve come into a bit of extra money, so I figure, why not?
My insurance won’t cover it, of course. So how much does something like this cost?
I had a mole removed from my nose and one removed from my ear and the total cost was less than $200. It was fast and painless. Good Luck.
I’ve had a number of moles removed, and both of the 2 different insurance companies I used covered it, but that’s because the doctor told them it was a possible risk for skin cancer.
But, if that’s not an option, cheap dermatologists will do it for about $100, if it’s somewhere really noticable get a plastic surgeon to do it. (about $600-$1000). One of my dermatologist got a little frisky with the knife and I now have a 2 inch long gross scar on my back where I used to have a little mole.
I don’t go to him any more.
Well, guess I’ll have to schedule an appointment with my doctor and hope that he’s willing to let me do this in a way where insurance will cover it.
It’s on my left lower arm, which has a decent amount of hair on it, so I’m not too concerned about an obvious scar
Does anyone know if Canadian Medicare covers mole removals? I have a few - that I’ve had for as long as I can remember (I first became self conscious about them in gr. 2 or so), but I hate them, and they do worry me. I’m shy to mention them to doctors, though, but I am trying to gather up the nerve to do so at my next physical…still…if anyone knows anything…sorry for the hijack, but its regarding the subject,
Also, how is it done? Does it usually leave scars? I probably will research quite a bit on all of this, but asking here doesn’t harm (I don’t think:) ).
IANA doctor, but from what I understand there are two methods for removing moles. One is to freeze it off- I can’t remember what the stuff is called. Nitrate something or other maybe? Liquid nitrate perhaps? They just touch the mole with it and it freezes the mole instantly and I guess it just drops off. (One would hope so anyway.) It might leave a small spot, but generally heals well enough to not leave any noticable marks. The other way is to cut the mole off with a scalpel, which can leave scarring and/or a minute indentation. I guess that depends on how steady the doc’s hand is and how deep the mole goes.
Less than $100 for two moles. Took 15 minutes and didn’t feel a thing except for the slight prick of the anesthetic needle. I didn’t even ask about insurance since I saw it as a cosmetic procedure.
Attrayant, you live in DC, so could you tell me where you got that done? The places I’ve called near work have been demanding exorbitant amounts of money.
I think your cost is going to depend on who does it. I had a general MD remove 4 moles. 2 were cut off and 2 small ones were burned off. (Neither procedure is very painful, the painkiller hurts the most.) The total cost was under $100 and took less than 15 minutes.
A co-worker is going to have a dermatologist remove hers. She has to go in for a consultation and then schedule the removal sometime after that. I don’t know what it’s going to cost her but I’d bet the farm that it’s going to be over $100.
Fairblue: Liquid nitrogen. Very cold stuff.
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What I don’t understand is, don’t people like Cindy Crawford, Kim Cattrall, etc. have more than enough money they can get their ugly brown spots taken off their faces?
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Maybe they like them.
They use liquid nitrogen? I don’t suppose it’s generally recommended that we do it ourselves, though, is it? I actually have quite a few moles on my torso that I would have removed - more than any of you have mentionned. I assume that there is some cancer risk in the long term, but I’ve have them since I was young and no doctor to my knowledge has ever been worried about them. I suppose I should ask, but I am self conscious to the point where I have actually told my SO to NOT mention them, ever ever ever, because it makes me feel so bad. He’s sweet, and has only mentionned them when I have first, and for that I am so grateful, but, as I said, I am still self conscious and embarrassed by them.
:sigh:
Do you have another good medical reason to have it removed? I had a couple moles removed from my shoulder for free after one of them bled a little. They were right where my sports bra strap goes, so I was concerned they would be removed without benefit of anesthetic.
An earlier doctor had said it would be about $200, more if I went for the better looking way. As it is, I can barely see one of the scars, probably only because I know where it is. Make sure to follow the aftercare instructions carefully. Seriously, it wasn’t that bad, and it wasn’t worth all the worrying I had done.
I don’t know if I have a good medical reason for removing them, other than the potential cancer risk that all moles pose. I have several, all in the area from my neck to my navel. One, at least, occasionally gets scratched a little by my bra (dependent on the bra I wear), so does that count? I should look into what the Quebec medicare will cover, as well as whats available under my Student Health plan (probably not much in this regard, but there may be something) and what I’m entitled to under my parents plans. Of course, though, I’m even too embarrassed to ask my parents what their plans cover, so that makes it all that much more difficult.
Guess I’ll have to look into it and see…
I also had one mole removed from the left side of my face and because it was under the skin they used this special device that sort of punched it out. It was a surgical procedure because I had to have a few stitches, but there is no scar and it was pretty painless except for the initial shot. I believe it was around $150.