Doctors refused to remove man’s giant mole – so he burned it off with acid, risking deadly cancer

Medics have warned about the dangers of mole self-removal after a man in his 20s used a DIY acid treatment, risking ‘serious injuries’.

Irish doctors who reported the case also warned such treatments could also potentially trigger deadly skin cancer.

In a case report published in the BMJ, medics from Beaumont Hospital in Dublin said a man in his 20s was referred to them seeking the removal of an almost inch-long mole on his chest.

The man, originally from Eastern Europe, told doctors he wanted the mole removed for aesthetic reasons and had attempted to do so himself with an acid solution he bought privately eight months prior, but the mole had returned. 

Like the NHS, the Irish health system also doesn’t routinely remove moles just because people are unhappy with them, but will do so if the mole has the potential to be cancerous.

n a case report published in the BMJ , medics from Beaumont Hospital in Dublin said a man in his 20s was referred to them seeking the removal of an almost inch long mole on his chest

The man, originally from Eastern Europe, told doctors he wanted the mole removed for aesthetic reasons and had attempted to do so himself with an acid solution he bought privately eight months prior, but the mole had returned

The medics examined the mole and finding a number of potentially concerning qualities, such as the fact it came back despite being previously damaged, opted to remove it.

In the case report they highlighted several concerns about such DIY mole removal treatments which, in addition to acid, also include ‘pens’ that generate high or low temperatures to freeze or burn a mole off. 

Apart from the risk of serious injury from these methods, the medics said such treatments could also increase the risk the potential risk of skin cancers. 

‘Destructive treatments and associated chronic thermal and chemical injury scars incur an increased risk of malignant transformation, typically, squamous cell carcinoma and less commonly, melanoma,’ they said.

They also noted that DIY removals by untrained professionals risked leaving parts of a potentially dangerous mole behind, risking delays in future skin cancer diagnosis in and needed treatments.

Medics cited previous research that found only about one in 25 mole removal products advertised on websites like Instagram were actually recommended by dermatologists.

MailOnline has also found products like acid for moles and thermal pens for ‘blemishes’ are on sale online in the UK for as little as £20. 

The medics concluded their report by saying there was need to educate both the public, and the aesthetics sector, which often provide such treatments, about the danger of using these products.

People are advised to keep track of their moles and note any new ones as well as any that change size, shape or colour.

While most moles are harmless ones that  have more than one colour, uneven edges, and that bleed, itch or have a crusty or raised texture could be a sign of melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

People who notice any of these changes are advised to contact their GP. 

About 17,500 Brits are diagnosed with melanoma each year, about 50 per day.

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for one in 20 of all diagnosis.

Melanoma is one of the most survivable cancers with 87 per cent of patients alive 10 years after their diagnosis. 

About 86 per cent of skin cancers are thought to be preventable had people taken more steps to avoid sun damage to their skin, the main cause of the disease. 

Brits are advised to avoid sunlight during hottest part of the day in summer and while abroad in hot countries, and use a hat and sunscreen to reduce their risk.

Data from charity Cancer Research UK suggests one in 35 men and one in 41 women in the UK will get melanoma in their lifetime.