Surgical removal of moles lasts around 15-30 minutes. The lesion is mapped and the skin area will be cleansed and numbed with local anesthetic, such as lidocaine. After a couple of minutes, a scalpel is used to cut the mole and a border surrounding the mole. Stitches are used to close the skin, and those will be then removed by your dermatologist after 7-14 days.