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What treatments are considered medically necessary vs. cosmetic?
Moles must be carefully evaluated by a qualified physician to ascertain any concern for skin cancer. Worrisome moles must be biopsied to rule out melanoma. These biopsies are considered medically necessary and are thus covered by medical insurance. Cosmetic removal of moles is not covered by insurance. Skin tags are considered cosmetic, and are not covered by most insurance.
How are moles removed?
Raised moles can be removed surgically, either by excising the mole or by shaving it flush with the plane of the surrounding skin. If the mole goes very deep below the surface of the skin, there is always a chance that it may “come back” later. Flat brown moles can also be excised or treated with a number of lasers to decrease or remove the brown pigmentation of the mole. This last method generally requires more than one treatment. Skin tags may be snipped, scraped, frozen or burned off. None of these methods is painful if a topical anesthetic cream is applied first.
