Removal of moles, warts, and fat deposits – safe and precise treatment in Oslo

Removal of skin lesions

There are a number of different skin changes that may be desirable to remove, ranging from benign changes to skin cancer. These changes are usually quick and easy to remove under local anesthesia. If it is clinically significant or if you want to have the sample analyzed, it will be sent to the hospital for examination.

The most common types of benign changes do not need to be removed, but for many people they can be cosmetically unsightly, and some people want to have growths on their face removed with as little visible scarring as possible. In some cases, they can be removed without any visible signs that they were ever there.

The most common are fibroids, which are hard lumps of connective tissue. In addition, there are skin tags and warts. We usually remove all of these with a CO2 laser, where we fire a few shots at them and they fall off, and over time you often cannot see that anything was there. They can also be surgically removed if there is a larger change or if it is more convenient to do so, with very little visible scarring.

Otherwise, some people want to remove changes that may be unsightly, such as benign moles, lipomas (fat lumps), and atheromas (sebaceous gland lumps), all of which can be surgically removed. In these cases, it is important to remove the capsule around the growth. Plastic surgery techniques are used to ensure that the scar is barely visible.

The most common type of skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma (basalioma), which often occurs on the face, head, neck, and upper body. In the past, there was some doubt as to whether it should be classified as cancer, because it grows very slowly and rarely spreads. However, it can spread if left untreated for many years. In practice, they are removed with 3-5 mm free margins and sent for examination, and if there are free margins, no further follow-up is necessary.

Furthermore, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is common, especially in the head and neck area. These can spread more easily from mucous membranes than from the skin. One should therefore be attentive in the lip area. In elderly or immunosuppressed individuals, they occur more often in sun-damaged areas and can be removed surgically.

These are sent for examination and, depending on whether they are highly or low differentiated, certain cellular characteristics, size, and location, a decision will be made as to whether further imaging examinations and follow-up with a general practitioner or referral are necessary. Malignant melanoma (skin cancer) is unfortunately very common in the Nordic countries and occurs when cell changes and mutations in moles cause them to change and become malignant. These changes are often referred to as ABCDE changes (A- asymmetry, B- border, C- color, D- diameter, E- evolution). In other words, if you have a mole that has changed (evolution - change), that has a diameter of more than 5 mm, that is not uniform and homogeneous in color but may be both brown and blue (a sign of growth in several levels), where the edges are drawn out - it grows outward, and is therefore also asymmetrical, then it meets all the clinical criteria for melanoma. 

Often, only one or a few of the criteria may be met, in which case the mole should also be examined and, if necessary, removed and sent for testing. Laser treatment of moles is not recommended as it can camouflage the development of melanoma. We recommend removing moles surgically and sending them in for examination. If none of the criteria are met, they are not usually removed, but you should observe them yourself and contact your primary care physician, dermatologist, or private doctor for assessment and removal if they change.

We also recommend sunscreen and sun safety rules to prevent melanoma.

Sometimes patients who have had less than satisfactory cosmetic results after reconstruction come to us to improve the outcome. There are several techniques available, ranging from scar correction and CO2 laser treatment to reduce scarring, to fat grafting in the case of dimpling, to recreating a skin flap where similar skin from the surrounding area can be advanced.