Thinking about placing a mole removal into your hands? Think again.

Updated on February 25, 2021

It has been well over a year when people all over the world have been forced to stay inside their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Probably because now you have more time in your hands with little to do, maybe you have taken time to step in front of the mirror and examine yourself head to toe. You may not have been as attentive as you were once busy with the everyday humdrum of life pre-pandemic, now you are aware of even the slightest change that goes on in your body.

And because you have found the way to get this article right under your nose tells us that a skin irregularity has caught your attention and you are having thoughts of removing this on your own in the very comfort of your home. It is a good thing that you are reading this article right now because we are here to share the advice of one of the best cosmetic surgeons in Singapore, Dr Shens from Shens Clinic. According to him, and any surgeon or dermatologist, mole removal should only be done by an experienced professional who is trained to do so. Doing it by yourself at home is definitely not a good idea and has many risks.

What could be so dangerous about removing a mole at home when you have found so many step-by-step online tutorials online that make the task seem so flawlessly easy? Well, there is more that could happen other than just being able to banish a mole. 

Below is a list of reasons that could hopefully help you abandon the determination of embarking on a mission to remove a mole at home.

The risk of developing an infection is high.

Medical professionals who do operations or surgeries have high standards when it comes to sanitation. Each tool used for the procedure is cleaned and disinfected to ensure that the patient does not develop any kind of infection during and after the procedure. Likewise, they follow guidelines on how to get the patient prepared for the operation. This includes making sure that the target area where the procedure is to be performed on is sanitized.  

You could consider yourself a cleanliness-freak, but let’s be honest; the manner in which we clean and sanitize things in and around the house is far more different than how things are done by doctors and healthcare workers on the job. Plus, our home is not a place conducive to carry out medical procedures that can be invasive or non-invasive. This should only be left at medical premises suited for operations and the hands of a board-certified dermatologist. That said the chance of incurring an infection when doing a mole removal at home tops the scale. In addition, your infection will certainly prolong the healing of your skin’s wound. The task may successfully make a mole disappear, but your skin will also most likely obtain a scar in the form of an indentation or a bump after, which can be bothering. 

The mole removal might only be partially successful.

The thing with some moles is they can trick you into thinking that they only appear on the surface or near the surface of the skin, but in reality, they are attached deeply into the skin. If the mole removed happen to be rooted in the depths of the skin then you have only taken away of a portion of it and not the whole. Your aim of eradicating that mark to improve your skin’s look is somehow a failure as the pigmented skin flaw will still be visible with its base still intact in the skin. This can also prove to be a concern in the future just in case you finally decide to have your mole removal done by a plastic surgeon or a doctor in dermatology.

The mole is a sign of skin cancer—and the serious kind too.

Melanoma is one of the various kinds of cancer that is found in the skin. This cancer impinges on the cells in the skin, called melanocytes, responsible for the fabrication of melanin. Our skin’s colour is derived from melanin. Any abnormalities that concerns the skin’s pigmentation can be linked to the skin’s overproduction or underproduction of melanin. While there is no clear culprit as to what causes melanoma, studies have identified that ultraviolet rays exposure can heighten an individual’s risk of developing the disease. 

Moles are the usual detectors of melanoma, although there are also times when the skin cancer exists even without giving off any obvious changes to the skin. Do note that moles are usually normal and are not signs of melanoma, but there is a probability that the mole you are attempting to remove with your bare hands or whatever product you have can actually be an indication of this skin disease. The danger comes when the mole is not examined by a medical expert to know whether it is benign or malignant. If this happens, then you may be left in the dark that your health is already in great threat as an undetected melanoma can reach other organs of the body in just a short period of time. 

Aside from not being able to properly diagnose melanoma, the use of products or devices to remove a mole can also be a problem. If the tampered mole is normal and the product or device used against it alters the way they appear, then it is unavoidable that a doctor may perceive this irregularity as a symptom of melanoma when it actually is not. You may end up undergoing unnecessary tests or medications along with the worry that comes knowing that you have a disease which, in reality, does not exist.

While ‘whacking a mole’ out of existence while you are in the confines of your home and are unable to personally visit a dermatologist’s clinic, technology today still makes it doable for people to get in contact with a medical professional through online clinic appointments or teledermatology consultation. Always remember to have your health concerns handled by professionals in the medical field as dealing with them on your own can cause you more harm than good.

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The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.