Why moles grow back

Dr Natalie Attard. Dr Laura Proudfoot. Dr Alvin Lee. Dr Abha Gulati. Dr Sanjar Rajpara. Dr Sasha Dhoat. Dr Suchitra Chinthapalli. Dr Richard Coelho. Dr Fiona Worsnop. Dr Andrew Lock. Dr Meena Arunachalam. Recent Blogs. Dr Adam Friedmann June 21, If a mole starts to grow, itch, or bleed, make an appointment to see a dermatologist. It is normal for new moles to appear during childhood and adolescence. Moles will grow as the child grows.

Some moles will darken, and others will lighten. These changes are expected in children and seldom a sign of melanoma — a type of skin cancer that can begin in a mole. Atypical moles: Melanoma can grow in an atypical mole.

Anyone who has atypical moles, such as this patient, should watch his or her moles for change. A dermatologist can remove a mole during an office visit. A few moles will require a second visit. A dermatologist will use 1 of these procedures:.

The advantage of this procedure is that it typically provides the best cosmetic result. With this procedure, the end result is that the area where you once had the mole would now be flat. This procedure is fairly similar to that previously described, except as the name implies, this removal goes deeper. The advantage to this procedure is that if a mole appears to be harmful, you would want to have as much of the mole removed as possible.

But the truth is, it can. Often times, we shave them flat, because a full excision requires stitches and can often result in a larger scar. A shave removal, however, does not remove all the mole cells and therefore, they can recur. I explain to my patients that moles sit like an iceberg. When you shave the base, there can still be mole cells deeper and then the mole can recur..

Levin cautions that you should avoid having a mole removed with a laser. During this common procedure, a dermatologist numbs the area of skin around a mole and shaves off the top layer of skin.