What treatments are available?

I have lots of moles. Does that mean I’m likely to get skin cancer?

If you have lots of completely benign moles you do not have a particularly increased risk of skin cancer. People who have many (more than 50) moles which are larger than a few millimetres and which have irregular shape or colour (called an atypical or dysplastic naevus) do have an increased risk of melanoma, particularly if someone in their family has had a melanoma. In this situation it is certainly worth making regular visits to a dermatologist. However you are still much more likely not to develop melanoma than to develop one.

Should I put factor 50 just on my moles?

Some people apply high factor sun block just to their moles before sunbathing, leaving the rest of their skin unprotected. There is no good evidence that this is helpful and dermatologists generally wouldn’t recommend it. If you are worried about your moles you should follow sensible sun protection precautions: Avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm, use a high factor sun block all over (SPF 40 or more), and cover up with clothes or under a parasol when the sun is at its strongest. Most important of all is to avoid sunburn, which definitely increases the risk of melanoma.

How are moles removed? What about laser removal?

If a dermatologist removes a mole to make sure that is it not a skin cancer, an elliptical excision or punch excision is usually performed. If a raised mole is being removed for cosmetic reasons or because it is catching a shave excision is usually done.

Patients sometimes ask whether it is possible to have moles removed by laser. Whilst it is possible to do this, most dermatologists wouldn’t recommend this approach. Removing a mole by laser doesn’t allow it to be sent off for analysis, and whilst it may reduce the dark colour of a mole, it doesn’t always get rid of the pigment cells which could still have the potential to develop into a skin cancer.