Can The Removal of Moles Be Dangerous?

Well .. I have this small mole on my arm that I noticed has grown slightly. I'm really worried that it might be skin cancer and told my mom I want it removed. My mom freaked out on me saying that it's bad to get rid of moles, blah blah blah. I plan to see a doctor soon. Buttttt .. I once heard that removing moles can cause cancer, is this true? Also, are there ANY risks of getting moles removed?

Thanks for your time, it is greatly appreciated.

About the only risk that I could see from removal of moles is perhaps an allergic reaction to the medication given to numb the area, or perhaps an infection afterwards if not cared for properly. It is absolutely not true that removing them can cause cancer, in fact, quite the opposite - if it was cancerous, removing it can protect you from cancer. But a good dermatologist could give you a good indication if he/she thinks it is cancer, and removing it may not even be necessary, they may think that just keeping an eye on it - i.e. measuring it and making sure it is not growing - would be sufficient.

If you are concerned about a mole, by all means, get it checked out! Getting a mole removed DOES NOT cause cancer.

No. It isn't dangerous at all.

I've had several moles removed in my lifetime. I cannot understand how it could be dangerous especially if it's melanoma.

Nope, perfectly ok and probably a good idea... I had never had one removed either until about 6 months ago and I had a very small one on my breast that changed color after I had my baby... Of course this freaked me out..lol... So I asked my doctor and he said it was probably fine but we could take it off if it bothered me just to be sure... So I had it removed ( I was extremely scared it would hurt) and it didn't hurt a bit and I am talking right on the edge of my areola and I didn't feel a thing... All was fine and it came back ok ( NO CANCER)... I would highly reccomend it just for mental comfort so that it isn't bothering you anymore.. It is always better to know sooner than later if it is cancer... Good luck to you, Valerie

your doctor will might recommend that you go see a dermatologist to have a look at your mole.

And don't worry removing a mole will not give you cancer the only way to know that your melanoma (from of skin cancer) is the shape and the color and size of your mole most dermatologist will take a small sample of the mole and look at it through a microscope ( called a biopsy) to determine if it's cancerous or not.

So good luck