How to Contain Melanoma From Spreading After Mole Removal

Dermatologists should consider removing ~2 millimeters of healthy skin around the mole they’re removing in order to prevent the need for a second surgery if the mole turns out to be cancerous. Many suspicious moles removed require further surgery because cancerous mole cells were missed during the initial removal. These second procedures increase the risk of infection, bleeding and scarring, and also lead to higher costs, the researchers noted.

Reference

Doctors define ‘safe and effective’ margins for ‘one & done’ skin removal around suspicious moles [press release]. New York, NY: NYU Langone Health; October 2, 2017. Accessed October 18, 2017.