When Should You Consider Mole Removal?

The vast majority of the American population has one thing in common: moles. Fortunately, most of these moles are nothing more than areas of concentrated pigment. In other words, they don’t pose any pressing health concern. 

That doesn’t mean you should just ignore your moles, though. In fact, keeping an eye on them is the key to protecting yourself against skin cancer. If any mole does pose a cancer risk and you address it early, you can usually remove the cancerous cells before they have the opportunity to spread. 

Because we specialize in moles, we can come alongside you. At our office in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Ali Hendi, MD, and Joanna Dong, MD, can evaluate any moles you have to determine if they could be cancerous. 

If they are cancerous, we offer mole removal right here at our office. Our goal is to help our patients throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, proactively monitor their skin health and, as a result, directly lower their skin cancer risk. 

So, when should you see us to explore mole removal? 

Warning signs a mole could be a problem

The biggest thing to watch for is changes. If a mole is growing or changing color or texture, it’s well worth asking Dr. Dong or Dr. Hendi about it. 

Be particularly wary of any moles that don’t match your other moles. Irregularity could indicate that you’re seeing cancerous cell growth rather than normal, healthy skin cells. 

Beyond that, you should have a mole checked by a health care professional if it:

• Is new and you’re over the age of 30
• Itches
• Bleeds
• Hurts (e.g., tender when pressed)
• Has irregular borders
• Swells
• Oozes

In other words, if a mole is changing or otherwise not behaving like your other moles, it’s time to come see our team. 

Getting support to determine when it’s time for mole removal

We can help you determine if your mole warrants removal. We offer dedicated skin cancer surveillance, which means we thoroughly evaluate your moles. We also compare any moles you’re concerned about against your other moles, and we ask about your family health history. 

We aim to come alongside you to proactively monitor your skin health. And being proactive sometimes means removing a mole. 

If we think a mole could be cancerous, we remove it here at our office. We then send it to our on-site lab for testing. This allows us to quickly determine if the cells are cancerous or benign. 

You don’t have to determine when it’s time to have a mole removed on your own. We partner with you to defend against skin cancer. To have any of your moles evaluated by our expert team, call 301-812-4591 to make an appointment or book one online today.