Can I wash my hair after mole removal?

You can wash your hair after mole removal as long as the area is kept as dry as possible for 3 days. If stitches are in place, the area should not be completely submerged in water.

After mole removal, there’s a risk of infection if the treated area gets wet before the skin has started growing back. Usually, by three days after a procedure, there is enough tissue regrowth to prevent infection if the area gets wet.

Removing moles with IPL or laser may not damage the skin surface. In this case, it’s safe to get the area wet any time after the procedure. However, if there are stitches, water can enter the skin through the holes. allowing bacteria to enter and potentially lodge on the part of the stitch under the surface of the skin, causing infection of the wound.

This means that the hair should be washed very carefully for 1-3 weeks after any procedure on the scalp where stitches are used. If there are no stitches, it’s usually safe to wash the hair normally after 3 days.

In general, if we remove a mole from the scalp, we give the following advice regarding hair washing:

• If there’s any blood in the hair as a result of the procedure, we’ll do our best to gently remove it.
• There will normally be a dressing (either a plastic film or a spray-on dressing film) over the mole removal site. This dressing is sufficient to protect the wound from a small amount of water which might splash onto the head while showering.
• For the first 3 days after a mole removal procedure on the scalp, it’s best to avoid washing your hair.
• After 3 days, it should be safe to remove the dressing and wash your hair normally.
• If you have stitches, it’s safe to wash gently, but don’t put your head completely under water until after the stitches are removed.