Doctors have warned of the dangers of self-removing moles after a man in his 20s used a home-made acid treatment, risking “serious injury”.
Irish doctors who reported the case also warned that such treatments could also trigger a deadly skin cancer.
In a case report published in the British Journal of MedicineDoctors at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin said a man in his 20s was referred to them seeking the removal of a nearly inch-long mole on his chest.
The man, originally from Eastern Europe, told doctors he wanted the mole removed for cosmetic reasons and had tried to do it himself with an acid solution he bought privately eight months earlier, but the mole had returned.
Like the NHS, the Irish health system also does not routinely remove moles just because people are unhappy with them, but it does do so if the mole has the potential to be cancerous.
In a case report published in the BMJ, doctors at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin said a man in his 20s was referred to them seeking removal of a nearly inch-long mole on his chest.
The man, originally from Eastern Europe, told doctors he wanted the mole removed for cosmetic reasons and had tried to do it himself with an acid solution he bought privately eight months earlier, but the mole had returned.
Doctors examined the mole and found a number of potentially worrying features, including the fact that it had reappeared despite having been previously damaged, so they opted to remove it.
The case report highlighted several concerns about these home treatments for removing moles, which, in addition to acid, also include “pens” that generate high or low temperatures to freeze or burn the mole.
In addition to the risk of serious injury that these methods can cause, doctors said such treatments could also increase the potential risk of skin cancer.
“Destructive treatments and chronic scarring associated with thermal and chemical injury carry an increased risk of malignant transformation, typically squamous cell carcinoma and, less commonly, melanoma,” they said.
They also noted that home removals by untrained professionals risked leaving behind parts of a potentially dangerous mole, which could lead to delays in future skin cancer diagnosis and necessary treatments.
Doctors cited previous research that found only one in 25 mole-removing products advertised on websites like Instagram were actually recommended by dermatologists.
MailOnline has also discovered products such as mole acid and thermal pens for “blemishes” are on sale online in the UK for as little as £20.
The doctors concluded their report by saying that there is a need to educate both the public and the beauty industry, which often offers these treatments, about the dangers of using these products.
People are advised to keep track of their moles and note any new moles, as well as any moles that change in size, shape or color.
While most moles are harmless, those that have more than one color, irregular borders, and bleed, itch, or have a crusty or raised texture could be a sign of melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
People who notice any of these changes are advised to contact their GP.
Around 17,500 Britons are diagnosed with melanoma each year – about 50 a day.
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for one in 20 of all diagnoses.
Melanoma is one of the cancers with the highest survival rate: 87 percent of patients are still alive 10 years after diagnosis.
It is believed that around 86 percent of skin cancers could be prevented if people took more steps to avoid sun damage to their skin, the main cause of the disease.
Britons are advised to avoid sunlight during the hottest parts of the day in summer and when abroad in hot countries, and to wear hats and sunscreen to reduce the risk.
Data from the charity Cancer Research UK suggests that one in 35 men and one in 41 women in the UK will develop melanoma in their lifetime.