Growth and Mole Removal
CloseWhile just about everyone has moles, patients visit our center to ask us about a variety of other skin growths as well. Although we recommend an annual full-body skin exam and having any suspicious lesion checked by one of our board-certified dermatologists or our other qualified practitioners, a little information about common benign skin growths may set your mind at ease. If you have cosmetic or comfort concerns about a benign growth, we can usually remove it surgically.
Types of Benign Skin Growths
Keratoses: The most common benign growths that concern our patients are seborrheic keratoses, which look like raised bumps with a rough, warty surface.
Moles: Also known by the medical term “nevi,” moles are collections of melanocytes (pigment cells). They range in color from flesh-colored to black. To rule out melanoma or other skin cancer, we recommend you visit us for regular skin checks.
Enlarged Oil Glands: A common benign skin lesion on the face is a “sebaceous hyperplasia,” commonly called an enlarged oil gland. As we age these small, yellowish, smooth surfaced bumps develop on the cheeks and forehead.Cysts and Lipomas: Sebaceous cysts are usually painless and result from a buildup of oil and skin cells inside a sac-like structure. Lipomas are benign fatty tumors that grow just below the skin.
