Mole checks and referral in East Finchley
We look. We refer. We never laser a mole.
If you want a mole removed, this page tells you what we do and what we do not. At Nova in East Finchley we look at moles and pigmented spots at a free consultation, record them, and refer you to the right person for removal. We do not remove moles here, by laser or by any other method. A laser destroys the growth, so nothing is left to send to a laboratory, and the British Association of Dermatologists advises against laser removal of moles for exactly that reason.
This page is for adults with a mole they want gone for cosmetic reasons, and for anyone with a spot that has changed and is not sure where to go. Skin tags and simple harmless growths are different: those we do treat, after assessment, and they have their own page.
What happens at your appointment
When to see your GP first, this week
Who takes a mole out, and what it involves
The consultation is free and takes about 20 minutes. We ask how long the mole has been there, whether it has grown, changed shape or colour, itched, bled or crusted, and about your sun history, your family history and any previous skin cancer. We look at it in good light and under magnification, measure it, and with your consent photograph it so any change can be compared later. We do not diagnose: nobody can tell you a mole is harmless just by looking, and we will not say it is.
Then one of three things happens. If the mole has any feature that needs a doctor's eye, we write to your GP the same day with the photographs and measurements, and give you a copy. If it looks like an ordinary mole and you want it gone for cosmetic reasons, we refer you to Mr Benedict Reed MRCS MBBS BSc, the plastic surgeon we work with, who takes it out surgically and sends it for testing. If it is a skin tag or a harmless waxy growth rather than a mole, we tell you so and you can book that treatment with us.
Some signs mean a GP appointment, not a cosmetic clinic. A mole that is growing, changing shape or colour, has a ragged or blurred edge, has more than one colour or any black in it, is 7 mm or wider (about a pencil width), or that itches, bleeds, crusts or feels different. A new mole in adulthood, a spot that looks different from all your others, and a sore that has not healed in four weeks also need your GP first. If any of these apply, book your GP now and come to us afterwards if you still want to; we can write to your GP with what we saw if that helps.
Mr Benedict Reed MRCS MBBS BSc is a plastic surgeon and our referral partner. He sees you separately, assesses the mole himself, and if removal is right, cuts or shaves it out under local anaesthetic and sends it to a laboratory. That report is the whole point: it tells you what the mole was. The procedure, the scar you can expect and the cost are explained by him before you decide, and his fees are his own, not ours. Your GP or an NHS or private dermatologist is the other route, and for anything that might be a skin cancer, it is the right one.
Prices and risks
Mole check at a free consultation: Free
Letter to your GP with photographs and measurements: Free
Mole removal: Not offered at Nova. Referred to Mr Benedict Reed, who quotes his own fee, or to your GP
Skin tag or harmless growth removal, after assessment: See our skin tag removal page: small £50, large £80
Risks
The risk on this page is the one we are built to avoid: a mole treated as cosmetic that was not. There is no treatment here, so there are no treatment risks. Surgical removal with Mr Reed carries its own, a scar, bleeding, infection and, rarely, a wound that heals slowly, which he explains before you decide. The risk of doing nothing is that a changing mole goes unchecked, so if you are worried, see your GP this week rather than waiting for a cosmetic appointment.
The honest limit
We will not remove a mole, however small and however sure you are that it is harmless, and we will not laser anything pigmented. Destroying a growth that turns out to be a skin cancer delays its diagnosis, and that is the one risk we refuse to take. A clinic that offers to laser your mole on the day is offering you a risk, not a service. The look is free; the removal is somebody else's job, done properly.
Common questions
Do you remove moles?
No. We look, we record and we refer. Cosmetic removal goes to Mr Benedict Reed, a plastic surgeon, who takes the mole out surgically and has it tested. Anything that could be a skin cancer goes to your GP first.
Why will you not laser my mole?
Because a laser destroys the growth and leaves nothing to send to a laboratory. If it was a skin cancer, you would not find out, and the cells left behind can regrow and be harder to read later. The British Association of Dermatologists advises against laser removal of moles.
Can you tell me if my mole is harmless?
No, and nobody can by looking alone. We can tell you whether it has any of the signs that need a doctor, and refer you. Only a laboratory report says what a mole was.
What happens to my mole after Mr Reed takes it out?
It is sent to a laboratory, and the report comes back to him, usually within a few weeks. You are told the result. If anything needs further treatment, he arranges it.
How much does mole removal cost?
We charge nothing to look. Mr Reed quotes his own fee for removal when he sees you, and it depends on the size, the site and the closure. Removal through your GP on the NHS is free where there is a medical reason.
What is the difference between a mole and a skin tag?
A skin tag is a soft, skin-coloured growth on a stalk, usually where skin rubs. A mole is flat or raised, brown or pink, and made of pigment cells. Skin tags we treat after assessment; moles we refer. If you are not sure which you have, the free consultation will tell you.
My mole has changed. Should I come to you or my GP?
Your GP, this week. A changing mole is a medical question, and a GP can refer you to a specialist quickly. If you want, we can write to your GP with photographs and measurements, but do not wait for us.
Can I have several moles looked at?
Yes. The consultation covers as many as you like. We record each one and tell you which, if any, need your GP, which Mr Reed could remove, and which are not moles at all.
The clinic is at 260 East End Road in East Finchley, three minutes on foot from East Finchley station on the Northern line. People come to us for a look at a mole from Hampstead, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Muswell Hill, Highgate and Finchley, and from Golders Green, Crouch End, Whetstone and Barnet. See every area we serve.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Nobody can tell you a mole is harmless by looking at it. If a mole has changed, see your GP this week. For anything else, book a free consultation and we will look.