Beauty seekers may wish to have moles removed to improve their appearance, but they are warned on the risk of removing a mole without proper diagnosis, according to a Consumer Council report. The Council advised consumers that the risk resulting in improper removal could be so high that it may become a matter of life and death, simply because the mole can be a symptom of melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Most people have some moles on their body - which are actually clusters of pigment cells that are formed to protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays. But melanoma can also start with a tiny mole on any skin surface and develop rapidly within a few weeks' time.
Melanoma only accounts for a few percent of all skin cancer cases but it is the deadliest form of skin cancer, as it attacks neighbouring tissues and spreads to other parts of the body.
The yearly average occurrence of melanoma is 0.8 per 100,000 people, and during the 5-year period between 2005 to 2009, an average of 55 new cases was reported in Hong Kong each year.
On average, 33 people die from melanoma each year, a figure higher than those who die from non-melanoma skin cancers (21), such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Mole removal before assessing whether it is benign or cancerous could have very serious consequences. If a mole is malignant and it is removed, the patient might loose the chance of proper diagnosis and treatment which will reduce the chance of survival.
Mole removal services are widely available in the market, with prices ranging from tens of dollars to over HK$10,000 for treating one mole. However, doctors do not recommend mole removal, because very often a mole may require multiple treatments before they can be removed entirely, and in the case where the moles are too large in size or irregular in shape, surgery may not be an appropriate treatment.
Some doctors believe the application of medication and laser are not the normal methods to treat moles. It is not appropriate to use these methods to remove moles without proper diagnosis. Patients should seek advice from doctors for proper treatment.
Early detection and complete removal of melanomas can usually cure malignant melanomas. Consumers are advised to use the "ABCDE" rule to check if the moles appearing on their bodies are abnormal or malignant which may lead to skin cancer:
| Asymmetry: | one half of the mole is not symmetrical with the other half. |
| Border: | the edge of the mole is saw-like or not clearly defined. |
| Colour: | the mole has varying shade, or it has different colour such as brown or black, or even red, white or blue. |
| Diameter: | the diameter of the mole is larger than 6mm and the mole is growing. |
| Evolving: | the mole appears different from others moles on the body, or it is changing in size, shape and colour all the time. |
To prevent skin cancer, consumers are advised of the following:
- Always protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation.
- Avoid potential risks which may induce skin cancer such as smoking, sunburns and chroniculcer.
- Excessive intake of arsenic may lead to squamous cell carcinoma. There are occasional reports about consumers contracting skin cancer after taking herbal medicine which contains arsenic. The public are advised to take herbal medicine only under the instruction of registered Chinese medicine practitioners.
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