In Australia's climate, moles are a very common occurrence, but they can be such a hassle! They often don’t look great, they can be irritated by your clothes rubbing on them, they can grow hair, and you really have to watch them to ensure they’re not turning cancerous.
Moles are essentially an accumulation of melanin – the pigment that gives your skin its colour – clustered in one area on the skin. Co2 Laser Resurfacing Cost
Normal moles are usually evenly coloured and shaped but can be brown, tan or black, raised or flat, round or oval-shaped, with a smooth surface. A small proportion of moles can turn into cancer, so it’s important to check your moles for changes in shape, colour or texture, with the development of an uneven shape or darker colour being two of the warning signs. If you notice either, your best bet is to head to your GP or dermatologist for a proper check.
You can get more information on moles and skin cancer from Cancer Council Australia.
A mole may also contain a hair follicle. If it does, the melanin that gives the mole its colour can also cause the hair to grow out of it to be more coarse and dark than normal. Luckily, having hair growing out of a mole is harmless, and it’s fine to remove it, doctors say.
First, check the mole to ensure it’s not a danger to your health. Then you can pluck the hair or, if you find that painful, cut it off close to the skin. If you prefer a more permanent solution, electrolysis and laser treatment are fine to explore, as long as your doctor approves.
Be warned, though, that frequent plucking can damage the follicle, which will cause the hair to become thinner and more likely to become ingrown.
This is where things get a bit more complicated. If your doctor advises you to remove a mole, they'll likely want to do it on-site, so they can send the sample off to the pathology lab for testing. However, if you have checked with your doctor and are removing it for cosmetic reasons, you can get it removed with laser treatments, or by a plastic surgeon. Take note, whatever you do, you should never remove a mole at home yourself.
If you're opting for laser treatment, just keep in mind that it works by removing the pigment from the skin, so the mole itself is still there. This means that you won't be able to track any changes in colour or shape, so make sure you've checked with your doctor or dermatologist that there's no cause for concern first!
If your mole is on your face, consulting a plastic surgeon might be the best bet! Plastic surgery will produce the least amount of scarring and can usually be done under a local anaesthetic, rather than a general one. Just be sure to do your research, and go to someone you trust.
Using bleaching agents or treatments on your mole may lighten it – but at a cost! It's best practice to avoid heavy-duty products on your skin, and a doctor will tell you that moles can only be removed properly by one of the above methods.
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