Mole removal can be performed for health, comfort or cosmetic reasons. If you're considering having a mole removed, you should turn to a medical professional for the procedure in the event of the following:
You Suspect the Mole Is Irregular
Mole removal is vital when a medical professional identifies suspect moles. Your job is to take inventory of your moles and examine them at least once a month for signs of change. You should seek medical care if your moles get larger or display any of the following traits:
- Asymmetry: Moles that could be cancerous may be asymmetrical. That means that if you were to put an imaginary line down the mole, the two halves wouldn't look like mirror images of each other.
- Irregular Edges: Healthy moles are typically rounded or oval-shaped and unhealthy moles are jagged and irregular.
- Multiple Colors: Potentially cancerous moles may have more than one color or more than one shade of a color within the same mole. Cancerous moles can be brown, black, red, tan, blue or white.
- Elevation: Raised moles are potentially more cancerous than flat moles, especially if the mole becomes raises after previously being flat.
- Size: Typically cancerous moles are larger than the eraser on a tip of a pencil.
Even just one of these symptoms is cause to seek medical care and possible mole removal. Of course, even moles that exhibit all of these symptoms may not be cancerous, as there's a common condition that results in some people having many irregular moles. Still, it's better to be safe and have a medical professional examine any moles that change or exhibit these symptoms.
The Mole Causes Discomfort
You can also seek mole removal if the mole causes discomfort. For example, your clothing or jewelry may rub against the mole. It's not urgent that you seek medical care for such a mole, but you don't have to accept living with the mole if you don't want to. Just be aware that removing a mole often results in a scar.