I had two moles removed and the doctor wants me to come back to have more skin removed where those moles were because they were atypical...?

Question

It appeared like they had removed the entire mole at both spots and I had huge holes almost like I had been burned with a cigarette where the moles were. So why do they need to remove more skin where those moles were if they got the whole thing? Are they just trying to make money off of me by having me come in...

Answer 1

Because it sounds like the "margins werent clear" the pathologist looks at it and if atypia cells are still present at the edge, it means they didnt clear it from the normal cells. Better than getting skin cancer.

Answer 2

They wouldn't be doing and saying these things if there weren't some medical reasoning behind it, because otherwise they'd risk losing their license. You should call and ask one of the doctors to call you back and explain what they're looking for. It's probably a safeguard to make sure there's no cancer. For example, when people have operations, the doctors often do a biopsy of some part of you that they remove. It's routine. They're always checking for cancer because it's so dangerous.