Mole removal to prevent melanoma?

I have fair skin and moles. I stupidly did a lot of sun damage to my skin in my younger days. If I have moles removed, does this help prevent the occurrence of melanoma, or does it just make it harder to detect? Please don't post links to websites that don't answer the question. Thanks.

If you get a mole removed,the doctor will send it away for a biopsy and check to see if it is cancerous.

You definitely need to monitor your moles for the chance that they become cancerous. Look for the telltale symptoms of cancerous moles: abnormal shape, diameter bigger than a dime, and there are two more but I cannot recall them at the moment sorry.

Preventing Melanoma
The best prevention is to recognize any risk factors you may have and take steps to prevent sun damage. Use a sunscreen that has at least an SPF of 15 anytime you go out in the sun. If you have several risk factors you should probably use a sunscreen all the time with an SPF of 30. There are several moisturizers you can buy that already have sunscreen added to them.

Recognizing Suspicious Moles
The common rule of thumb is to apply the ABCD's.

Asymmetry - Draw a line through the middle of the mole. If the halves don't match, the mole is asymmetric and more likely to be abnormal.
Border - The borders of atypical moles are not well defined or can look scalloped with notches between the scallops.
Color - An uneven color throughout the mole is more likely a sign of abnormality. This is especially true if all the other moles on your body are a uniform color. On the other hand, some people normally have moles that have different colors in them. The colors red, white, and blue may be patriotic, but they also are signs of abnormality.
Diameter - Most melanomas spread horizontally before they start to spread vertically. Therefore look for moles that are enlarging in diameter greater than 6 mm or 1/4 inch. This is about the size of a pencil eraser.

You just need to monitor your moles for any changes in their colour, size, etc. Best for you to see a dermatologist for an evaluation of your moles.