I have a couple of bigger moles on my face (amongst some smaller ones) that I have always hated. I was bullied at school for them and i have always wondered if I could get them removed. Friends kids asking about them has opened the old wounds which I suppose have never really gone away.

A female friend (not close enough to ask her this question unfortunately) had a couple removed and it really boosted her confidence.

Can you get this sort of mole removal on the NHS? If you can’t, how much would it be privately? My wife has said I should look into it and supports me but I don’t want to go to the doctors and sound like a prat asking for something I couldn’t get from the NHS at all.

Just to add, if it was a low price (low hundreds) I might be able to pay for it myself but it would be a stretch at the moment.

I believe it’s a relatively common thing to ask for a reduction in your mammaly glands.

(Sorry)

Just head to your GP and ask, I had a couple of cysts removed on the NHS that were on my neck, 80% cosmetic 20% annoying/painful, as they rubbed on shirt collars.

Not a silly question to ask your GP at all and certainly will cost more than a few hundred privately, it’ll cost you that just to sit in the consultants room and have a coffee.

Ask your GP, but go with a good story. At one time it would have been no issue on the NHS buy now it’s stuff like this that is getting harder to get funded.

Googling comes up with private prices. Looks like £200 to £400 & additional moles on same day cheaper.

ex g/f had a couple removed by gp in the surgery

Ask your GP, but go with a good story.

This – if you just want them removing but can’t be arsed to pay you will be less likely to get sympathy than if you explained how they cause you embarrassment and makes you feel anxious when asked about them etc.

Yes, your GP may believe they are a dab hand with the blade and the needle and thread, and not feel the need to worry someone who does it as a full time job.

This is a 10 year old scar, get an expert in.

Wife had something similar done about 6 months ago. She had been bothered for years and eventually asked the GP who requested an appointment at the local NHS hospital. We expected the hospital appointment was going to be a battle to convince them that they were medically necessary to remove, and then to be put on a long waiting list. She was most surprised to arrive at a mobile unit in a car park and find a friendly consultant ready to flex his blades on whatever she wanted ! It appeared to be one of those things they were targeting here at the time.

I had a growth removed by my GP a couple of years back and they did it at the surgery and it left no mark at all, so hopefully they would be ok with the moles.

She had been bothered for years and eventually asked the GP who requested an appointment at the local NHS hospital. We expected the hospital appointment was going to be a battle to convince them that they were medically necessary to remove

It’s the GP you need to convince, as they’re the ones who buy healthcare from the hospitals. If your GP has said “yep, we’ll pay for that” then the hospital will be (usually*) happy to do it as it means more money to cover their costs.

I had a mole removed years ago by my GP. It was just on my back though so usually out of sight. I went with the angle of worrying about it being knocked while playing football (it was where people lean their arms while you’re both trying to jump for the ball) or by a rucksack strap. The GP did it in the surgery, there’s a tiny scar but if it was on my face I’d have wanted to go to a proper surgeon for it.

*If the gp/hospital had some daft contract where they only get paid £20 for a heart transplant then they’d be reluctant to do it, but for the most part the contract prices should come pretty close to covering the cost to the hospital of carrying out the procedure.

I had a large mole/birth mark removed from my arm > 10 years ago. I didn’t mind it, my flat mate referred to it as my “hairy AIDS” and my then girlfriend wasn’t too keen. She convinced me to go to the GP, and they arranged to have it removed. I miss the thing a little bit (it was with me for >18 years), and have a large scar on my arm. Although the scar isn’t too bad, I once got asked by a guy with tribal tattoos where I got my scar done. From what I understand, arms and faces scar the most.

Bails…pretty wrong there I’m afraid..

It would be the CCG who determine if something is low priority, or will get done on the nhs.
Your gp may be well aware of what will or won’t get done, but it’s not them “saying no”.
Your gp won’t get directly billed for referrals etc, but your idea is ‘kind of correct’ in that the commissioners commission services from the trusts.

Anyway, back to point.. Ask your gp. They may shrug and go “unlikely, but we can try”.
That’s what I’d do….

DrP

Oh, a gp who isn’t a surgeon also ( they exist) shouldn’t touch anything on your face..