What should you know about beauty spot removal?

A beauty spot is commonly a mole, also called a melanocytic naevus. Assessment includes its colour, border, shape, size, surface and recent changes, along with your skin history. A clinician may use a magnifying device called a dermatoscope.

Removal options depend on whether the spot is raised or flat, how deep it extends and whether examination under a microscope is appropriate. Shave removal takes off a raised portion, while surgical excision removes the full lesion with a margin and usually closes the skin with stitches. Either approach may leave a scar, and pigment can sometimes return after a partial removal.

Before booking a cosmetic procedure, tell the clinician about bleeding problems, medicines and supplements, allergies, previous thick scars and any change in the spot. Do not try to cut, burn or dissolve a mole at home; this can cause bleeding, infection, scarring and delayed diagnosis.

After removal, follow the wound-care plan: keep the site clean, use the advised dressing or ointment, and avoid picking the crust or stretching the area. Protect the healing mark from sunlight. Attend the arranged follow-up for stitch removal or laboratory results if tissue was submitted.

Arrange a skin assessment promptly if a spot is changing in size, shape or colour, develops an irregular border, contains several colours, repeatedly bleeds, becomes persistently itchy or forms a sore that does not heal. These features require evaluation; they do not establish a diagnosis by themselves.

After a procedure, contact the treating clinic for spreading redness, increasing warmth or swelling, pus, worsening pain, fever, a wound that opens, or bleeding that continues despite firm pressure. Seek urgent care for heavy bleeding or signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as facial swelling or breathing difficulty.

Ask whether the spot should be examined before removal, which technique suits its depth and location, whether the tissue will be sent for microscopic examination, where the scar will sit, and how to care for the wound. Also clarify when results are expected and whom to contact if healing changes.