Skin Check · Kensington, London

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Mole Checks in Kensington: Spotting the Mole That Needs Examining

A mole check is a medical examination of the moles and other lesions on your skin, carried out with a dermatoscope — a magnifier that reveals the pigment patterns beneath the surface. Most moles are harmless and stay that way for life. The point of a check is to find the few behaving differently and act on those early. Dr Prasad carries out mole checks at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic on Kensington Church St, London.

This page sets out how moles and other skin lesions are examined at Faciem, and what happens when one looks suspicious. It is reviewed for clinical accuracy.
Last reviewed: 15 September 2026.
Patient information only. No mole can be assessed from a photograph, an app or a description, and any lesion that concerns you should be examined in person.

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TL;DR

A mole check examines the skin with a dermatoscope, a magnifying instrument that shows pigment patterns invisible to the naked eye. Most moles are harmless for life. The ones that need attention are those changing in size, shape or colour, and those that look unlike all your others — the ABCDE criteria and the ugly duckling sign are the two rules used to decide. At Faciem your lesions are examined, measured and, with your consent, photographed. Benign lesions can be left alone or removed here; suspected skin cancer is referred urgently to a skin cancer surgeon, so that the specialist team plans your care from the outset.

About the Condition

What Are Moles?

Moles are common growths made up of clusters of pigment-producing cells in the skin. Most people have between ten and forty, and almost all remain harmless throughout life. A mole check examines them with a dermatoscope to identify the few that are changing or that differ from the rest, so anything suspicious is acted on early. Mole checks are carried out by Dr Prasad at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic in Kensington, London.

What are the ABCDE signs and the ugly duckling rule?

The ABCDE criteria describe the features that make a pigmented lesion one to examine. A is for asymmetry, where one half does not match the other. B is for an irregular, blurred or notched border. C is for colour that varies within the lesion, with browns, blacks, reds, whites or blues mixed together. D is for diameter, traditionally over six millimetres, though smaller melanomas certainly occur. E is for evolving — any change in size, shape, colour, height or symptoms over weeks or months — and it is the single most useful of the five. The ugly duckling rule works differently and complements the ABCDE list: a person’s moles usually resemble one another, so the lesion that stands out from the crowd deserves attention even when it meets none of the ABCDE criteria.

Who should have their moles checked?

Anyone who has noticed a change in a mole should have it examined, whatever their age or skin type. Beyond that, a periodic mole check matters more for people with a large number of moles, fair skin that burns easily, red or fair hair, a history of sunburn or sunbed use, and anyone with a personal or family history of melanoma. Immunosuppressive medication after a transplant or for inflammatory disease also raises risk. Melanoma is less common in black and brown skin but is diagnosed later and more often on the palms, soles, under the nails and in the mouth, so those sites need looking at specifically. Outdoor workers and anyone with heavy childhood sun exposure also benefit from periodic checks.

What else can look like a suspicious mole?

Several harmless lesions are mistaken for melanoma, and some skin cancers are mistaken for harmless lesions. Seborrhoeic keratoses can be very dark and irregular, but they sit on the surface with a warty, stuck-on texture. Dermatofibromas are firm, brown and dimple when pinched. A blood blister or a haemangioma can look alarmingly black. In the other direction, melanoma without pigment appears as a pink or flesh-coloured nodule and is frequently dismissed as a spot or a harmless lump. Dermoscopy separates most of these reliably, because the pigment patterns beneath the surface differ even when the outward appearance does not. Melanoma can also arise on skin where there was never a mole, so a new lesion matters as much as a changing one. Flat pigmented marks left by sun exposure are a different group again, described on our brown spots and freckles page.

Causes & Contributing Factors

What Causes Moles?

Moles form when pigment-producing cells cluster together in the skin rather than spreading evenly through it. Most appear during childhood and early adulthood, and how many a person develops is largely inherited. Ultraviolet exposure increases both mole count and the risk that a mole cell line eventually behaves abnormally.

Clusters of pigment cells

A mole is a benign collection of melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment. Most develop between childhood and the age of about thirty. A new mole appearing well after that age should be examined, not assumed to be another ordinary one.

Ultraviolet exposure

Sun exposure, and sunburn in childhood in particular, increases both the number of moles a person develops and the risk of melanoma later. Sunbed use raises melanoma risk further, and the risk is higher again when use starts young.

Inherited tendency

Mole count runs in families, as does melanoma itself. A first-degree relative with melanoma raises your own risk, and some families carry a pattern of numerous atypical moles that warrants regular surveillance.

Skin type

Skin type is graded on the Fitzpatrick scale, from I, which always burns and never tans, through to VI, which rarely burns. Fitzpatrick I and II skin, often with red or blond hair and freckling, carries the highest melanoma risk. Fitzpatrick IV to VI carries lower risk overall, but a greater proportion of melanomas appear on the palms, soles and nails and are found later, so those sites are examined specifically.

Hormonal change and reduced immunity

Moles may darken or enlarge slightly during pregnancy and adolescence, which is usually benign but still needs confirming. Long-term immunosuppressive medication reduces the body’s ability to control abnormal cells, which makes regular skin checks more important.

Treatments We Offer

How Moles Are Treated at Faciem

A mole check is an assessment, not a treatment, and what follows depends on what the examination shows. Harmless lesions can be left alone or removed, sun damage can be treated, and anything suspicious is referred on urgently. Suspected skin cancers are not removed at Faciem, for the reason set out below.

Mole Check Consultation

Your lesions are examined, measured and, with your consent, photographed, then assessed with a dermatoscope. Dermoscopy in trained hands picks out high-risk lesions more reliably than the naked eye or a consumer photography app.

Best for: a changing mole, or a full skin examination

Read about Mole Check Consultation

Cryotherapy for Sun Damage

Actinic keratoses are rough, scaly patches caused by years of ultraviolet exposure, and a small proportion progress if left alone. Cryotherapy treats them once the examination has confirmed what they are. Pigmented moles are never frozen, because freezing leaves nothing for the laboratory to examine.

Best for: actinic keratoses and sun-damaged skin

Read about Cryotherapy for Sun Damage

Hyfrecation for Benign Lumps

Skin tags, milia and other lumps identified as harmless during your mole check can be removed by hyfrecation, which dries the lesion out with a fine electrical current at the tip of a needle. Nothing is treated before it has been examined and identified.

Best for: benign lumps already confirmed as harmless

Read about Hyfrecation for Benign Lumps

Benign lesions can be removed with minor surgery and sent to the laboratory for analysis where that adds something useful. Suspected skin cancer is referred urgently instead, either privately or through your GP, and Dr Prasad decides in person what any individual lesion needs.

When to Seek Medical Advice

When Should a Mole Be Checked?

Any mole that has changed should be checked, and change matters more than how a lesion looks at a single moment. A mole that is new, growing, itching or bleeding warrants examination without waiting to see whether it settles.

Worth getting checked

Conditions that can look similar

Self-Care & Prevention

Checking Your Own Moles Between Appointments

Checking your own skin regularly is the single most useful habit for finding melanoma early, and many melanomas are first noticed by the person who has them or by a partner. A monthly look in good light, covering the areas that are easy to forget, takes only a few minutes.

Do

Avoid

This is general guidance and does not replace individual assessment. Self-examination finds lesions worth showing someone; it does not identify what they are, and nothing here should delay having a changing mole examined.

Why Patients Choose Faciem

Examined With a Dermatoscope, Referred Without Delay

A mole check is only as good as the examination behind it and the pathway that follows it. Dr Prasad has 20 years’ experience in dermatology and assesses every lesion with a dermatoscope, and Faciem refers anything suspicious straight to skin cancer surgeons instead of treating it here.

Experience & Expertise

Why Suspected Skin Cancer Is Referred, Not Removed Here

Where a lesion is suspicious, the right course is a direct referral to a skin cancer specialist, not removal in a general clinic. A melanoma taken out without adequate margins usually needs a second, wider operation, and sometimes a third, so care planned by the surgical team from the outset spares the patient repeated procedures. The same applies to basal cell carcinoma on the face, where Mohs micrographic surgery removes the tumour layer by layer while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. Dr Prasad works alongside colleagues in skin cancer surgery and refers directly, or through your GP if you prefer the NHS route. Benign lesions are dealt with at Faciem, and where anything is removed the tissue is sent for laboratory analysis.

Dr Anamica Prasad — MBChB (1999), Dip Dermatology (2001), MRCGP, DFFP, DRCOG · a GMC-registered doctor
Member of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), British Medical Laser Association (BMLA), Royal Society of Medicine and the Aesthetic Complications Group
Clinic operated by Derma Medical UK Ltd, registered with the Care Quality Commission for diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury · CQC Location ID 1-25573003746
Dermatoscopic examination and direct referral where skin cancer is suspected
20 years’ experience in dermatology, including assessment of pigmented lesions

Patient Reviews

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Moles FAQs

Your Questions, Answered

Mole checks raise the same handful of questions in the consulting room, and these are the ones that come up most. Anything not covered here can be asked when you are examined.

Can I go back to work and exercise after a mole is removed?

Most people return to desk work the same day a mole is removed, as it is done under local anaesthetic and takes around 30 minutes. Keep the dressing dry for 48 hours, then shower normally. Leave the gym, swimming and anything that stretches the site for 2 weeks, or until stitches come out — about 5 to 7 days on the face and 10 to 14 on the back, chest or limbs.

What happens during a mole check appointment?

At a mole check your skin lesions are examined, measured and, with your consent, photographed, then assessed with a dermatoscope that magnifies the pigment patterns beneath the surface. Dr Prasad explains what each lesion is and whether it needs anything doing. Harmless lesions can be left alone or removed; anything suspicious is referred urgently to a skin cancer specialist, privately or through your GP.

How can you tell whether a mole is cancerous?

A dermatoscope shows pigment patterns beneath the surface that are invisible to the naked eye, and those patterns separate most harmless moles from suspicious ones. Where doubt remains, the lesion is removed and sent for laboratory examination, because histology is what confirms a diagnosis; appearance alone cannot. A written report follows. Nothing is diagnosed from a description or a photograph.

Can I have a mole checked while pregnant or breastfeeding?

Yes, and a changing mole should be examined at any stage of pregnancy or breastfeeding without waiting. A dermatoscope only magnifies the skin surface, so nothing is applied and nothing is absorbed. Moles commonly darken or enlarge a little during pregnancy, which is usually a benign hormonal change but still worth confirming. If a lesion is suspicious it is dealt with promptly; removal purely for appearance is normally deferred until around 3 months after delivery.

What is the difference between melanoma and other skin cancers?

Melanoma arises from pigment cells and can spread elsewhere in the body if it is not caught early, which is why it is treated urgently. Basal cell carcinoma, sometimes called a rodent ulcer, grows slowly and may ulcerate but very rarely spreads, though it still needs surgery. Squamous cell carcinoma grows faster and can spread, so it is also treated promptly.

Can I have a mole removed because I do not like it?

A mole can be removed for appearance once it has been examined and judged harmless, and the removal usually leaves a small mark where the lesion was. Anything not clearly benign is handled differently — either removed so that the tissue can be examined in the laboratory, or referred — because a lesion destroyed without analysis can no longer be diagnosed.

What determines the cost of a mole check?

A mole check is charged as a private medical consultation, so the fee depends on whether you want a single lesion assessed or a full skin examination, and on whether anything is removed and sent to the laboratory. Consultation fees are published on our private doctor appointments page and confirmed when you book. Onward referral can be arranged privately or through your GP on the NHS.

Sources & Further Reading

Melanoma skin cancer — NHS
Basal cell carcinoma patient information leaflet — British Association of Dermatologists
Moles and melanocytic naevi — DermNet NZ

These are general sources of patient information and do not replace individual medical assessment. Whether a particular mole needs anything doing about it is established by examining it.

Moles in Kensington, London

A Doctor-Led Clinic in the Heart of Kensington

Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic sits on Kensington Church St, a few minutes on foot from High Street Kensington station and roughly ten from Notting Hill Gate. Mole check appointments run Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm, which suits people coming across from Chelsea and Notting Hill during the day and those arriving from Holland Park or further into West London after work. If a mole has changed, take the earlier appointment.

Plan Your Visit

Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic
Phone: +44 20 7131 3539
7 Kensington Church St, London W8 4LF, United Kingdom
Tube: High Street Kensington (few minutes’ walk) · Notting Hill Gate (~10 minutes)
Parking: Kensington council underground car park nearby
Open Monday–Saturday, 10am–7pm · Sunday closed
Mole checks bookable online; onward referral arranged urgently where it is needed
Consultation-first — no treatment without medical assessment
Serving Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill & Central London

Continue Exploring

Related Conditions & Treatments

Lumps & Bumps

Skin tags, milia, cysts and keratoses, and why each one is identified before it is removed.

Brown Spots & Freckles

Flat pigmented marks left by sun exposure, and how they differ from a raised mole.

Loss of Pigment in Skin

Pale patches, and the white ring that can form around a mole, and which of them need examining.

Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic · Kensington

Noticed a Mole Changing?

Book an appointment with Dr Prasad and have the lesion examined with a dermatoscope at the Kensington clinic. Where anything looks suspicious, referral to a skin cancer specialist is arranged urgently.

Prefer to talk? +44 20 7131 3539

Monday – Saturday	10am – 7pm
Sunday	Closed