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Moles are almost always a genetic thing. If one or both of your parents had a mole or two, you will probably be born with or develop a few yourself. A parent who had several moles and ended up with skin cancer is cause for alarm when you find that you have moles too, but the issue can be addressed in your doctor's office. Here is what to expect from your mole removal and a biopsy when they occur at the same time.

Cutting, Lasering and/or Freezing

The three typical methods of mole removal involve using a scalpel to cut away the mole (cutting), using a laser to gradually remove layers of the mole's surface (lasering), and using a cryogenic material to freeze it off (freezing). To get a biopsy, your doctor will first use a scalpel to cut away a small piece of the mole and place it into a vial or sample box for the lab. If you are having the entire mole removed via cutting, the doctor may just place the entire mole into the container so that the lab can analyze the entire sample for signs of cancer. If you chose lasering or freezing, your doctor will first cut the sample away for the lab before using one of these other methods to remove your mole(s). Check it out by looking for examples online. 

Stitching You up or Not Stitching You Up

If you chose cutting as the means of mole removal, your doctor will examine the area where the mole was removed and make sure he or she has gotten it all. Then your doctor may use a stitch or two to seal up the cut area, especially if the open area is deeper than a few millimeters or the open area will not stop bleeding because the mole was right over a blood vessel. If you chose lasering or freezing, both of these processes automatically cauterize the site so you probably will not need stitches.

Testing the Mole Sample

Usually within a week or so your doctor's office will call to let you know about any benign results received on your mole sample. If there was any sign of malignancy (cancer), your doctor will probably ask to see you in person or request that you schedule an in-office follow-up to go over the test results. Skin cancer is typically a very localized thing, and when caught early the mole removals will take care of any threat. Your doctor may also want a follow-up to check on your stitches or the surgical site(s) and/or do a visual check for any other changes in these areas.