News & Updates News BEWARE OF MOLE REMOVAL TOOLS We have noticed a series of very alarming online advertisements for mole and skin blemish removal tools. Following a number of concerned emails and messages from our followers on social media, we went to Dr Aldridge to ask for his help. Dr Aldridge Dr Aldridge says: “There are a number of destructive agents available over the internet which are marketed as helpful, mole removal solutions. They all assume that the individual applying the caustic substance or the electrical or heating device to the mole is able to distinguish between what is a benign mole and what is a cancerous mole. Therein lies the problem. Imagine if your Dermatologist removed a mole and placed it in the bin rather than sending it to pathology for it to be analysed. As a patient, that type of clinical behaviour would be unacceptable for you but it is akin to what the selling point of these materials for mole destruction purport, i.e. do not worry about these ‘troublesome’ lesions just remove them yourself, blindly! There is a risk that you might remove, inadvertently, a melanoma or dysplastic naevus in this way. This will distort the clinical picture significantly were the melanoma to manifest as a recurrence for the first time. Be sensible about this. I know we have lots of little lumps and bumps we do not like on our skin. However, if you are concerned about a mole enough to undertake DIY surgery for it, you are better off getting an assessment privately by a clinician who may advise the best approach to remove the moles in question.”