Don't Remove A Mole At Home: It's Too Dangerous
A mole is a common skin condition that is often harmless. So naturally, people sometimes head to their local pharmacy or organic grocer and purchase a bunch of ingredients for the purpose of removing the mole on their own. This idea might sound harmless, but it's always best for a medical professional to remove these growths.
Some Moles are Dangerous
Overwhelmingly, moles are more of a cosmetic issue than one that is detrimental to your health. Yet, atypical moles are something entirely different. An atypical mole has an unusual appearance, in that they might have an odd color, shape, or even texture. These moles can develop anywhere on the body, but most important, they put you at an elevated risk for skin cancer.
This type of mole should never just be removed without further testing being performed to determine if there is a presence of cancer. The reason this testing is so important is that removing the mole will not necessarily remove cancer from the body. All moles should be examined by a medical doctor before removal.
There is an Infection Risk
At home mole removal sometimes involves cutting the mole from the skin, which is an incredibly dangerous process. A mole might look like an external element on your skin, but it's connected to your skin by a series of cells. Consequently, when you cut the mole, you are also cutting into your skin.
It's never safe to cut yourself. If the tool you use to cut the mole is not properly sanitized, any bacteria on the tool can enter into your body. If you do not properly clean and cover the opening, the same thing can happen. Infections are dangerous and can sometimes travel to the bloodstream, where they can become fatal.
Scarring is Possible
A common at-home method of mole removal involves using solutions to kill and burn the growth so that it falls off. Often these products do deliver on their promise, but they leave behind battle scars. The ingredients in these solutions cannot differentiate the mole from the rest of your skin
As a result, they will target the rest of your skin with the same potency as they do they mole. The result of this contact is often deep scarring and skin indentions. Particularly when it comes to the indentions, the marks are permanent.
Visit a medical professional if you have a mole that concerns you or that you want to have removed.
For more information on mole removal, reach out to a local dermatologist.