Removal of Moles and Undesirable Skin Growths

Everyone has benign skin growths or moles. Sometimes these can be cosmetically unappealing, especially if they are on the face. However, faced with a scar as a result of surgery to remove the mole, most people prefer to leave the growth in place.

Dr. Enzer offers his patients an alternative. Rather than completely removing the growth, it can be flattened such that it becomes flush with the surrounding skin. Often, though not always, any unnatural pigment is also removed. We call this technique the Ellman shave. Most importantly, normal skin can grow over the treated area, just as it would if you scraped your knee. Therefore the risk of scarring is very low. We have performed this technique hundreds of times over the last 15 years with excellent cosmetic results. When other doctors are reluctant to remove a facial growth, they send the patient to Dr. Enzer for an Ellman shave.

We always point out, that unlike excision, the Ellman shave does not remove the roots of the mole or skin lesion. There is the chance that it may grow back, although our experience shows that is very rare. The treatment is usually done in the office, and healing usually takes place over several weeks, similar to any other scrape of the skin surface.