Can you remove moles by yourself?

It’s often possible to remove a mole or skin lesion at home using products purchased online or from pharmacies. However, just because you can remove a mole yourself, it doesn’t mean you should.

We always recommend that you have your mole checked and diagnosed by an accredited skin cancer doctor before you attempt to remove it yourself. It might actually be a skin cancer, which would require surgical removal, prescription medication or another procedure only able to be provided at medical clinics. Doctors are experienced in assessing moles and considering the medical and cosmetic requirements of the patient to get the best result from the mole removal process.

If a skin cancer doctor or dermatologist has examined your skin lesion, they can usually offer treatment, but it’s possible to treat certain skin lesions yourself. For example:

• Seborrhoeic keratoses can sometimes be removed by exfoliation.
• Freckles can be faded using over-the-counter fading creams and solutions.
• Warts can be treated using over-the-counter paint or sometimes do-it-yourself cryotherapy devices.

We don’t recommend any home treatments for moles due to their high rates of failure and/or side effects, such as burns or scarring of the skin. For best results with mole removals, you should consider laser or IPL removal, a surgical procedure such as radiofrequency surgery, or another procedure performed by a health professional.