Cutting off any growth increases your risk of infection, especially if the tool you use is not properly sanitized. You can also create a permanent scar where the mole once was. Another risk of removing a mole yourself is that you can’t tell if a mole is cancerous. A mole could be melanoma
Your skin is one of the first things that people notice about you, and, as such, it can have a profound effect on your self-esteem.
Things like blemishes or moles can really make you self-conscious. Everyone wants to put their best face forward.
It can be tempting to want to deal with these blemishes, and it is possible to do so.
However, what does the Quran say on the topic – is it haram to remove moles? Let’s explore.
A Background on Moles
A mole is essentially a cluster of cells. The cells are melanocytes which are what give the mole its colour. The cells are usually dispersed throughout the skin.
Moles can look a number of different ways depending on the type of mole you have. Generally speaking, there are three different forms of moles.
Firstly, there are the moles that you have from birth, and these are known as congenital moles or birthmarks. Congenital moles of birthmarks can look any number of ways varying in size and colour. Some of them may also grow a lot of hair too.
Between birth and middle age, you tend to begin to develop other moles and blemishes; these are called acquired moles.
They may be raised or flat, and they can vary in colour from pink to brown to purple. However, they are almost always smaller than a pencil eraser.
The more you have, the more you are at risk of developing melanoma, but they are usually benign.
The final form of mole is the atypical mole. Again, these are often benign, but they can develop into something more nefarious, which is why they often need removing.
Size-wise they are hard to predict, but they can be identified by their jagged borders and irregular colour palettes.
Why do People Remove Their Moles?
There are two main reasons why people choose to remove their moles.
Firstly, they have them removed because the moles pose a threat to their health. Moles can be indicative of skin cancer, and if they are cancerous, they need to be removed in order to protect your health and stop the cancer from spreading.
Some people choose to remove their moles simply because they don’t like how they look. If the mole is rather big or noticeable or it has an effect on your mental health, then you can have it removed.
Signs That Your Mole Might be Cancerous
In order to tell if your mole is cancerous, you first need to have a baseline to refer back to. You need to know how many moles you have and what they usually look like.
If your moles have grown rapidly or changed in size or shape, then this is a sign that they might be cancerous.
Moles that are particularly dark or irregular in their colouring might also be a cause for concern.
You should take extra care if you have a history of skin cancer in your family.
If you’re unsure you can seek professional advice and have your moles checked.
What Does Haram Mean?
The Arabic term haram simply means forbidden in the Muslim faith. You need to avoid the things that are prohibited by the Quran and hadith.
Hadith is the sayings of the holy prophet of Muslims, and the Quran is the book of Allah’s teachings.
There are some acts which are haram or forbidden regardless of your intention behind them.
Removing Moles as a Muslim
So, is it haram to remove moles? This issue is not clear cut or straightforward.
This is because, as a Muslim, you should celebrate and be grateful to Allah for the body that He has chosen to bestow upon you. Allah chose to form you as He did, and to alter your appearance in such a manner could be seen as afront to Him.
Those who alter their appearance in order to become more beautiful will be denied the mercy and grace of Allah. This is because those who undergo these treatments in the pursuit of vanity are showing their disapproval of the arts of Allah.
Therefore, without it seriously impacting your health, you should not seek to remove a mole purely for aesthetic purposes.
Another reason why painful aesthetic procedures are haram is because you should not tyrannise your body by inflicting pain upon it. You should not put your life at risk or torment your body in the pursuit of making yourself more attractive.
It is seen as contributing to your own destruction. Lastly, aesthetic procedures are expensive.
They are by nature an extravagance, and wasting money is also forbidden, especially when so many people in the world don’t have enough money.
However, there are always exceptions to the rule. For example, having a blemish that causes you great distress psychologically and makes your mental health take a dive, then having such blemish removed is permissible.
It comes down to your intentions. If you aren’t intending to beautify yourself but instead planning to remove the defect because of the damage it causes you in order to restore yourself and your body, then this is allowed.
You may also remove moles if they are causing a risk to your health. If the moles are of a concern to your doctor, then you can have them removed in order to protect your own health and wellbeing.
Allah values your life, and therefore if removing the mole is the best thing for your health, it is not haram to do so.
How Are Moles Removed?
There are several methods that you can use to remove moles. However, it is important to stress that at-home mole removal methods are dangerous, and you should not try them. If you need a mole removed, you need to leave it to a professional.
Your doctor can recommend the best course of action. If your doctor is concerned that your mole is cancerous, they will first biopsy it in order to check for cancerous cells.
After this, if cancer cells are found, they will likely perform an excision. This is where the mole is effectively dug out to remove all traces before the skin is stitched back together.
If there aren’t any cancerous cells, your doctor might still choose to remove them either by freezing, burning or scraping them off of your body.
Summary
The question of whether or not it is haram to remove moles really depends on your reasons for wanting to remove them.
If the mole is posing a threat to your health or causing great mental distress, then removing it is the best course of action. If it isn’t causing you any harm, then you should leave it alone.
