Removing moles on the scalp

[PixieP]

I have 3 moles on my scalp I really want gone... They're sticking out a lot and I keep catching them with a brush or my nails, and they feel icky when I touch them (please don't think that I think moles in general are icky, my body is covered in hundreds of all sizes and variations, but the ones on the scalp has a different texture and so they feel unpleasant). But I'm worried that I'll loose hair when they are cut away or while dealing with the wound afterwards. Has anyone here ever done it?

[Rhodugune]

It's been a couple of years ago since I removed a mole on the top of my head, because it often started to bleed when I brushed my hair and as it also was very close to my parting when parting it down the middle and looked a bit like a piece of a mini cauliflower and I didn't like when it showed through my hair.

So my doctor removed it, just numbed the area, shaved of a little of my hair and cut it out and I just needed a few stitches and for awhile I had a tuft of hair standing out as it was growing out. :D
Today I have a small bald patch across the scar where my hair didn't grow back, but it's much smaller then the mole and I much prefer that to the mole as it was making me feel like a scary witch with a mole growing out of her head/hair. :P

I'm sure you can go somewhere and they can do a better job of it, not leaving as much of a scar as I have, but I am happy with having my mole gone.

If you want I can see if I can get a photo of what my bald patch looks like, I have never actually taken a proper look, just get a glimpse of it every once in awhile if I part my hair just the tiniest bit too much to the left.

Edit: I can add that it healed very quickly, didn't really hurt afterwards and it took about 6 months for my hair to grow out as much so it didn't stick out.

[Cg]

I have 3 moles on my scalp I really want gone... They're sticking out a lot and I keep catching them with a brush or my nails, and they feel icky when I touch them (please don't think that I think moles in general are icky, my body is covered in hundreds of all sizes and variations, but the ones on the scalp has a different texture and so they feel unpleasant). But I'm worried that I'll loose hair when they are cut away or while dealing with the wound afterwards. Has anyone here ever done it?

Yes. It left me with a scar and a bald spot but it was well worth it to have it gone.

[lapushka]

Ask your doctor about what they would have to do. It might just be a tag instead of a mole and might be easy to cut away from the scalp.

[Ingrid]

I had something like a mole (around 0.8cm in diameter) on my scalp too, apparently I got it as a result of some virus. Anyway, it was fairy easy to remove it, and it left a bald patch with smooth skin. Glad to have it gone!

I should also add mine wasn't cut away but the doctor applied something to it that gradually made it dry up and fall off as a scab.

[Siri]

I had a subcutaneous cyst removed from my scalp some years back. Luckily the doctor said he could remove it without shaving any of my hair, he removed it with a scalpel and put in two stitches. I couldn't wash my hair until it healed (which drove me crazy) but it healed fine and didn't effect my hair growth. The doctor felt it was best to remove it because I kept scraping it when I combed or brushed my hair.

[unheardletters]

I've had many moles removed due to melanoma. I have more I want removed sometime in the future.
I don't notice where they were removed. He didn't shave any hair and just froze them and cut them out and cauerized them (which smelt awful). O hairwashing for 4 weeks was terible with my greasy scalp, but in my case I had to remove them.

[Ophidian]

I have a single large mole on the top of my head, had it as long as I can remember. I mostly fingercomb and sometimes BBB which doesn't bother it, but if I'm combing I have to be very careful. I sometimes wish it weren't there but I haven't been bothered by it enough yet to get it removed. It does look weird if my hair parts across it (which it normally doesn't).... it has no pigment or hair on it. When I had a buzz cut this was not a great thing.

[Anje]

Talk to a dermatologist. My husband had a nickel-sized area removed from his scalp right at the crown, when he got a small basal cell carcinoma. (That is, they didn't shave off a mole. They removed a whole chunk of scalp. He walked around looking surprised for a few days til the skin stretched.) Even though his hair is thin, the scar is downright hard to find.

[mizukitty]

I think it mostly depends on the size of skin being removed and the technique/experience of the person doing it. In general, dermatologists (especially if trained in plastics) will be able to retain as much hair as humanly possible! It's quite amazing, actually. But moles are no fun, I really feel for you. Whenever I catch one of my skin tags it's quite painful and it's so unpleasant it gives me chills. Should definitely see someone about lasering mine off...

[PixieP]

It's definetly moles, I talked to my doctor about some moles I was worried about and he looked over all my moles just to be safe, including the ones at the scalp. We didn't get to talking about possibly removing them for practicality then. I've had my fair share of moles removed already (9 actually, two of them on my face, with 3 more being planned on removal for being slightly suspicious, they aren't trouble now but they are the most likely ones to become troublesome). The ones I had removed on my face was done by a plastic surgeon and the scars are SO much smaller than all the others, but that was partially because I had to have tape on them for 3 months after removing the stitches.

I just don't have that much hair and I'm worried they'll shave a lot off :(

[lapushka]

I just don't have that much hair and I'm worried they'll shave a lot off :(

Could you go to the plastic surgeon for this also? I'd talk to the doctor about your concerns - best thing to do. I'd just get it done. One less thing to worry about. Look at it that way, maybe? :flower:

[draysmir]

I've had one removed from my scalp a few years ago just to be cautious, since it looked different from my other ones. In terms of hair cutting and such, I have no recollection of ever noticing that part of my hair growing out, or that it was even cut, although he would have had to cut a bit of hair to get rid of the mole. I don't think it was noticeable at all that I got it removed, my hair covered it pretty well. The only thing people or myself might have noticed was this lotion stuff I had to put on it for a while, if I didn't rub it in enough or put too much on. The next visit I went to after it was healed, I couldn't even find where it used to be (I think I know where the scar is now though), so the scarring at least for me isn't noticeable.

I wouldn't worry about your hair, if you want them gone then it should be fine to do so. While moles can be nice sometimes, they definitely can be uncomfortable when you're brushing or scrubbing an area near one so I totally get where you're coming from. I love the couple I have on my neck, but it can hurt when I wash my neck to hard and it just feels icky when I do it too.

[CrowningGlory]

I have 3 moles on my scalp I really want gone... They're sticking out a lot and I keep catching them with a brush or my nails, and they feel icky when I touch them (please don't think that I think moles in general are icky, my body is covered in hundreds of all sizes and variations, but the ones on the scalp has a different texture and so they feel unpleasant). But I'm worried that I'll loose hair when they are cut away or while dealing with the wound afterwards. Has anyone here ever done it?

Not moles but I had a cyst removed. The first time it didn't heal properly, so they decided to do a biopsy and remove a larger area. It involved shaving but once the wound healed, the rest of my hair covered that spot until my hair grew again. A few years later I was surprised by a shorter section of hair until I realised it was the hair that had grown back after that area had been shaved.

My cyst bothered me for years - getting caught on combs, and painful at times - but I kept putting it off because I was afraid of losing hair. When I finally did have it removed, it was a relief. However, I bled profusely during the procedure and had to leave the Doctor's surgery with blood matted all through my hair. I've often wondered what the other patients waiting must have thought!

Actually, the worst sort of it all was not being able to wash my hair until the stitches were removed. That was 2 x 14 days since I had to have the procedure repeated!

[Amelia777]

If you have multiple moles especially new ones you should see a dermatologist yearly for a mole check. Especially if skin cancer has ever run in your family. Make sure you note the size, shape, color, and boarder of each mole and look for changes. All skin tags (https://lumiskins.ca/skin-tag-removal-in-toronto/) should be monitored.

[Laurab]

I would say if they seem high-risk for skin cancer or anything else scary, definately have them removed, as health comes before all else.
If they're just annoying, I'd leave them be. Who knows? you might miss them when they're gone.

[lapushka]

I have had mine checked as well; it's fine and I have only one in my hair, next to it I have a thick black coarse hair growing out a 4c texture. It's just... odd. But there you go. I have the same kinds of "moles" elsewhere on my body (top of the back of the leg, top of the foot, wrist: hairless). It's fine.

But yes, a check-up from a dermatologist is no luxury. Or, just showing your GP!