Moles are coloured spots on the surface of the skin, which are usually round or oval shaped and have a slightly raised surface. Most people have at least a few moles somewhere on their body, and in most cases they are harmless and do not require any attention. They can appear, disappear or change colour as we get older.
Sometimes, a mole may be cancerous, and should be assessed by a dermatologist. Signs of melanoma (skin cancer) include moles with an asymmetrical shape, are growing in size, have uneven colour, or a mole that is raised, bleeding, or itchy. If the mole is cancerous, you will be referred for specialist treatment.
To minimise your risk of melanoma, it is important to be careful in the sun, particularly if you have a lot of moles. Cover them up whenever possible, and use a high factor sunscreen. Monitor your moles regularly for signs of change.
Sometimes, a benign mole may be a source of irritation, for example if it rubs on clothing, or it is in a prominent place and causes you to feel self conscious about your appearance. It is possible to have non-cancerous moles removed for cosmetic reasons at a private clinic, but not on the NHS.
It is not advisable to use ‘do it yourself’ kits to try and remove the mole yourself at home, as these are unlikely to work very well, and may permanently damage your skin or cause an infection. There is also the chance that you unknowingly remove a cancerous mole, meaning that the cancer may progress to a far more serious stage.
At a skin clinic, you will be offered the most effective and up to date treatments to safely and quickly remove your mole. Some smaller moles can be removed with laser light treatment which destroys the mole tissue. This may take two or three sessions to completely remove the mole.
One of the most innovative skin treatments is cryopen mole removal. This is a method of freezing the skin tissue to deliberately destroy the cells of the mole and cut off the blood supply. It is much quicker and more precise than traditional cryotherapy and requires no anaesthetic.
The treatment is almost painless and is approved for use on children. It is an ideal solution for removing moles and other skin lesions such as skin tags, warts, pigmented spots, and verrucae. It is a very effective and fast process, with most treatments taking just 30 seconds or fewer, and completely removing the lesion in just one session.
The cryosurgical procedure is carried out with an applicator pen which applies an ultra-cold jet of nitrous oxide at high pressure to the mole. The pen allows for a high degree of accuracy, reducing the risk of any damage to the surrounding tissues. If you would like to find out more about the procedure, please contact us at Laser Light Skin Clinic today.
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