Dangers of Picking Off Moles and Freckles - Infection, Scars and Cancer Risk

Consequences of Picking Off Moles and Freckles

Moles and freckles are common, harmless skin growths. But picking them off out of annoyance or impatience can lead to irritation, scarring, infection, and increased skin cancer risk. Understanding safe removal options helps avoid temptation to pick.

Differences Between Moles and Freckles

Moles (nevi) result from clusters of pigment-producing cells in the skin. They often appear brown or tan, either flat or raised. Freckles develop from sun exposure and also involve pigment, but remain flat.

Why It's Tempting to Pick Them Off

You may feel tempted to scrape, cut, or pick off moles or freckles that you find bothersome or unsightly. Reasons for wanting removal include:

• Appearance dissatisfaction if they seem large, dark, or asymmetrical
• Physical irritation if raised and rubbed by clothing or jewelry
• Embarrassment about appearance during adolescence
• Impatience with safe clinical removal procedures
• Financial barriers preventing professional treatment

Infection Risk from Picking

Picking at your skin traumatizes it, creating an open wound vulnerable to pathogens. Infections such as staph are more likely when you:

• Pick with dirty hands or tools
• Cant stop repetitive picking/touching
• Have a weakened immune system

Infected wounds require antibiotic treatment to prevent complications like cellulitis. Using over-the-counter antibacterial creams after picking may help reduce infection odds.

Scarring Consequences

Picking moles off leaves behind an open sore. As this wound heals, collagen fibers create a scar in damaged skin layers. Scars appear as white, shiny patches that may feel hardened or raised. They result from:

• Deep abrasions reaching below surface skin
• Slow-healing wounds over 2-3 weeks
• Repeated picking and re-injury in the same spot

Although scars gradually fade over months, some remain permanently visible. Silicone gel sheeting helps reduce and smooth hypertrophic and keloid scarring.

Increased Cancer Risks

Picking off a mole disrupts its structure at deeper levels beneath visible skin. This skin trauma activates inflammatory processes attempting repair. But it also releases chemicals triggering pigment cell and blood vessel growth. That means picked-off moles regrow with new blood supply feeding abnormal cell proliferation. Melanoma risk escalates because cancerous cells now have portal access to spread through circulation.

When Picked Moles Regrow Atypically

About 15-20% of picked-off moles grow back appearing different than the original. Signs of abnormal regrowth after mole removal injury include:

• A larger or irregular border
• A newly uneven surface
• Darkening, color variation
• Changes over time in size or shape
• New symptoms like pain, itching or bleeding

Such atypical changes warrant reevaluation by a dermatologist to assess if skin cancer developed.

Have Suspicious Moles Professionally Removed

Any new or changing moles with peculiar traits described above require specialist inspection. A board-certified dermatologist properly removes and biopsies suspicious lesions. Preserving intact tissue architecture lets pathology labs definitively diagnose if skin cancer cells are present.

Dermatologists sever mole connections deep under the skin with a scalpel or scissors. After suture closure, the wound heals relatively quickly with minimal scarring risk. This prevents regrowth and recurrence at that same site.

What About Removing Freckles?

Freckles are not true skin growths like moles, but rather pigment clusters from sun exposure. Still, trying to remove them yourself similarly leads to the same picking risks of infection, scarring, and formation of irregular new spots.

Options for Professional Freckle Removal

Cosmetic dermatology offers safe medical procedures to lighten or eliminate freckles. Popular options include:

• Laser skin resurfacing to target pigment without damaging surrounding skin
• Chemical peels using acidic solutions to remove pigmented outer skin layers
• Cryotherapy using extreme cold to eliminate freckle cells, allowing new unpigmented skin to replace them

Discuss benefits, risks, and projected results of these freckle removal methods with a board-certified dermatologist.Although expense may be a factor with professional treatments, balance that against potential picking harms.

Non-Removal Cosmetic Freckle Concealers

Over-the-counter cosmetic products provide affordable camouflage for freckles rather than true removal. Options like skin-tone correcting creams and long-wearing waterproof makeup effectively mask freckles' visibility temporarily.

When to Tolerate Versus Treat Moles and Freckles

Learning to accept harmless flat freckles and stable small moles avoids frustration and temptation trying to remove naturally occurring skin features. But consistently monitor their trait changes month-to-month. Seek professional assessment of any mole exhibiting peculiar alterations suggesting possible malignancy. Be prepared to tolerate freckles annoying clinginess in return for your skins overall health.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.