Moles on Skin: Telling the Common Spots Apart, and Which Ones I Would Remove

I'm Dr. Hyunji Kim, director and lead physician at Delphic Clinic in Gangnam, near Sinnonhyeon Station. I trained at Korea University Medical Center and hold memberships in the Korean Academy of Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Medicine and the Korean Society for Laser Dermatology & Hair. My work centres on lifting, laser and anti-ageing care, and sorting and removing moles on skin for visitors is a steady part of every week.

Patients often sit down, point at a few moles on skin across the cheek or shoulder, and ask me to take off all of them. When I look closely, a third of those spots are often something else: a skin tag, a stuck-on keratosis, a freckle, a milium. That matters, because each one is handled differently and priced differently. This page is the sorting I do in the room, written out so you can do a first pass yourself.

Six spots that get called moles, side by side

Here is the field guide I wish every patient had before booking. Use it to make a rough list, then let a doctor confirm it. The look-alikes are common in adults, and they often sit right next to real moles.

Freckles are the spot I most often have to talk people out of treating like moles. If you are unsure whether your flat brown patches are freckles or something else, my explanation of freckles vs melasma will help you before you book anything.

Usually cosmetic, or worth an evaluation first?

The question I answer for every spot is not what it is called but which path it belongs on. An ordinary mole that has looked the same for years sits on the cosmetic path. A spot with features that make me pause sits on a different path, and I will not laser it.

• Usually cosmetic: a mole that has not changed in years, matches your other moles, and has an even colour and smooth edge.
• Worth an evaluation first: a mole that is new in adulthood, changing in size or colour, irregular in shape, bleeding, crusting or persistently itchy.
• The general ABCDE guide (asymmetry, border, colour, diameter, evolving) is a reason to be seen sooner, not a way to diagnose yourself.

How I match each spot to a removal at Delphic

For moles we use the Avvio laser, which targets pigment precisely and limits damage to the surrounding skin. The appointment takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and each spot usually takes 3 to 7 days to close over. Skin tags, seborrheic keratoses, warts and milia are removed per spot too, but the technique and the healing differ a little, which is why I name each one before quoting.

The overview of how many spots make sense on one visit, and which moles suit a short trip, is in my guide to which moles are worth removing on your trip. This page stays on telling the spots apart.

Face moles and body moles do not heal alike

Facial skin has a rich blood supply and tends to heal quickly. Moles on the back, chest and shoulders sit in thicker skin that moves and stretches, so they can take longer to settle and are more likely to leave a visible mark. That is one reason body moles are priced from 20,000 won per spot and vary by size.

If you are tallying a long list across your face and body, my post on how to tally your own bill before you fly shows how to measure each spot with a ruler and your phone, so the quote holds no surprises.

When I tell you to leave a mole alone

Not every spot is worth removing, even when it is ordinary. I say no, or not yet, more often than people expect.

• A mole that needs an evaluation first, for the reasons above.
• A very large or deep mole where laser removal could leave a mark more noticeable than the mole.
• A spot on skin that is tanned, sunburnt or irritated on the day.
• A patient flying out the next morning with a long list, where I would rather split the treatment than rush it.

Name the spot before you price it. Half of the disappointment I see with mole removal comes from treating something that was never a mole.— Dr. Hyunji Kim, Delphic Clinic

Make a spot map to bring to your consultation

This takes ten minutes and makes the consultation far more useful. Patients who arrive with a map get clearer answers and a more accurate quote.

1. 1

   Photograph each area

   Face, neck, chest, back and arms, in daylight, with a ruler or coin beside each spot you care about.

2. 2

   Number the spots

   Mark each one on the photo and write a line: how long you have had it and whether it has changed.

3. 3

   Sort with the table above

   Put a guess next to each: flat mole, raised mole, tag, keratosis, milium or freckle.

4. 4

   Flag anything that has changed

   Put those at the top. They are the ones I will look at first, and possibly not treat.

Bring your spot map to a free one-to-one consultation. I will name each spot, tell you which are cosmetic removals and which need an evaluation first, and give you a per-spot quote before anything is done. English and Chinese interpreters are on site, international patients pay the same price as Korean patients, and we are one minute from Exit 3 of Sinnonhyeon Station.