CO2 Laser Mole Removal on the Face

CO2 laser on the face

CO2 laser mole removal on the face: how the beam takes a lesion away

The short answer

A carbon dioxide laser produces infrared light that the water in skin absorbs strongly. Aimed at a facial mole, it vaporises the lesion a thin layer at a time, and the doctor checks the base between passes until the pigmented tissue is cleared or going further would cost more in scarring than it gains. At Rewind in Apgujeong, Seoul, every lesion is examined before the laser is used.

Rewind does not publish a session length or an anaesthetic protocol for this treatment. Both depend on the number and type of lesions and are explained at the appointment.

Most facial moles that patients want removed are common benign moles, raised or flat, that have looked the same for years. For those, ablation is quick per lesion and leaves a small round healing point with no stitches. The face is also where a poor result shows most, so what matters is less the precision of the beam and more the judgement about how deep to go at each site.

The research on this technique concerns benign lesions. A 2021 comparative paper examined CO2 laser alongside cryotherapy, electrodesiccation and the erbium laser for seborrheic keratosis, a common benign growth, and a 2022 review looked at carbon dioxide laser treatment of benign skin growths as a group. Neither deals with a lesion that has skipped examination, and neither gives a reason to skip it.

Laser or excision

CO2 laser or excision for a facial mole: how the two methods differ

Patients often ask which is better. The two answer different questions, and the lesion decides which question applies.

01Ablation

CO2 laser removes tissue by vaporising it

Thin passes take the lesion down level by level with limited heat spread beneath. The result is a small round healing point and no stitches. Because the tissue is vaporised, nothing remains that could be examined under a microscope.

02Excision

Excision cuts the lesion out whole

The mole is removed with a margin of skin and the wound is stitched closed, leaving a fine line. The removed tissue can be sent for analysis, and that is the reason excision is the route for any lesion that needs a diagnosis.

03Choosing

The lesion's history settles the choice

A small, long-unchanged mole with no worrying features is usually suited to ablation. A lesion that has grown, changed colour, bled, itched or has an irregular edge needs medical examination and possibly a tissue sample, so a laser is the wrong first step.

04Depth

On the face, stopping early is often wiser

Deeper passes lower the chance of the mole returning and raise the chance of a dent or a pale point. On conspicuous facial sites the balance often favours stopping sooner and accepting that a deep-rooted mole may need a second session.

Pricing

CO2 laser mole removal price for facial moles

The laser work itself is priced in two ways on Rewind's sheet, and neither depends on the size of a mole.

Printed rates exclude VAT, which is added at payment, and Rewind's sheet states that the anaesthetic cost is already inside listed prices. The count, and so the total, is set once the doctor has examined your face.

Aftercare

After CO2 laser mole removal on the face

Facial points heal in plain sight, so aftercare is visible. Rewind's written instructions after laser treatment: expect redness immediately afterwards; skip sauna, jjimjilbang and exercise heavy enough to make you sweat; do not massage or rub the area; apply sunscreen before going outside.

Outcomes worth knowing about before a facial session: temporary darkening or a paler spot at a treated point, a small dip after deeper ablation, a raised scar in skin that scars thickly, infection if a crust is torn away early, and recurrence of a deep-rooted mole.

Questions

CO2 laser mole removal on the face: technique questions