Andy Devaney
I went in for a mole check on Harley Street with the kind of quiet dread usually reserved for airport security queues and “We need to talk” texts. You know the feeling: you’re trying to look casual while your brain is already writing a Netflix docuseries about that one suspicious dot on your shoulder.
At a certain age you start collecting responsibilities the way your skin collects freckles. For me, the big one recently has been health — specifically skin health. And if I’m honest, there’s a bit of guilt in the mix.
I’ve got what you might call a sun behaviour hangover: past sunbeds, blistering holidays, and those years of bravado when I convinced myself sunscreen was for other people. Now? I know I need to be more responsible.
So I booked a mole screening appointment on Harley Street.
The headspace before you go: certainty, Google, and quiet panic
If you’ve ever booked a skin cancer check, you’ll recognise the mental soundtrack. You don’t just turn up thinking, What a lovely way to spend an afternoon. You go because you want certainty.
In the days leading up to it, I went through the fairly predictable cocktail of motives, mental shortcuts, and emotions:
“I just need certainty.”
“I’ve Googled myself into a corner.”
“I’m worried, but I want to look calm.”
Self-blame loop: “If this is serious, it’s my fault.” (Not helpful, but common.)
Repair mentality: “Let me fix what I can now.”
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The fear isn’t only about the mole. It’s about the what if you didn’t do anything about it.
What a private mole screening is really like
The reality was far calmer than my brain made it.
I was called through by the very lovely and professional Tanya, my nurse, for the next 40 minutes. The mole cancer screening service should normally take up to 40 minutes but because I have a body that looks like a solar system of moles it probably took just over this — even though as thorough and fast as Tanya was, she was never going to be under the 40-minute time.
And here’s where the experience quietly separates itself from the half-hearted mirror inspections we all do under bathroom lighting that makes us look like we’ve aged three decades overnight.
The process is straightforward and, importantly, methodical. The specially trained nurse will discuss your personal risk for skin cancer and will examine ALL your visible moles to identify any which are visually abnormal — a potential symptom of a basal cell, squamous cell or melanoma skin cancer.
That “ALL your visible moles” part is the key difference. It’s not a quick glance at the one you’re anxious about. It’s a proper sweep — the kind of thoroughness that makes you think, Right. This is what “being on top of it” actually looks like.
The point isn’t to scare you — it’s to catch things early
Skin cancer is scary when it’s late and ignored. It’s far less scary when it’s spotted early and treated quickly.
If detected early, life-threatening skin cancers can be easily treated — and that’s exactly why screening services exist. The MOLE Clinic has been supporting its patients with early detection of skin cancer for 21 years, with over 35,000 people every year visiting its clinics in London (4 locations: Harley Street, Oxford Circus (x2) and Moorgate), Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Their mission is to help lower the UK skin cancer mortality rate with its innovative, highest-quality screening services, and make those services widely available and easily accessible.
In other words: this isn’t about paranoia. It’s about timing. You’re not auditioning for worry — you’re buying yourself the advantage of being early.
When you hear a phrase you weren’t expecting
One of the more sobering moments of my appointment was being advised that I may have Atypical Mole Syndrome, a disorder of the skin affecting 1 in 50 and which increases the risk of melanoma by up to 10 times.
Now, let’s be clear: hearing something like that doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It means you’re informed. It’s a risk flag — and risk flags are useful. They change behaviour. They make you more consistent with checks. They make you take sun protection seriously, not performatively.
It’s funny how quickly you stop “meaning to be better” when someone hands you a real-world reason to actually do it.
What happens if they find a mole that looks abnormal?
If a mole looks visually abnormal, it doesn’t automatically mean cancer. It means: this one needs a closer look.
For those with a visually abnormal mole, this will be highlighted for you to then either discuss with your GP for further investigation, or alternatively the nurse can arrange rapid diagnosis by an expert doctor with a Mole Diagnostic Report and a Mole Biopsy, if required.
That’s the practical value of a proper mole check: you leave with clarity. Not just “I think it’s fine” — but a sensible next step, based on what someone trained to spot patterns can actually see.
Why people worried about skin cancer should consider screening
If you’re concerned about skin cancer and sun damage, here’s the simplest way I can put it: anxiety thrives in uncertainty. Screening replaces uncertainty with a plan.
You don’t go to prove you’re ill. You go to prove you’re paying attention.
And if you’re carrying that old-school guilt — the sunbeds, the “I don’t burn”, the holidays where SPF was optional — you can drop the self-blame. Skin doesn’t care about your intentions. It cares about what happened. The only useful question is: what are you going to do next?
For me, “next” looks like proper sun protection, routine checks, and not waiting for a mole to become a storyline.
Because the goal isn’t to be fearless. It’s to be early.
I booked Harley Street because it was the most convenient for me, but the reassuring thing is you don’t have to do the same. The MOLE Clinic has multiple sites across London (Harley Street, London Bridge, Oxford Circus and Moorgate) and a growing network nationwide — Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Richmond, plus Wilmslow opening 2 March 2026 and Birmingham launching in April 2026 — which makes regular checks far easier to fit around real life.
FAQs
What happens in a mole check appointment?
A trained clinician discusses your risk factors and examines all visible moles methodically, flagging anything visually abnormal for follow-up.
How long does a mole screening take?
The appointment “should normally take up to 40 minutes,” though it can take longer depending on how many moles need checking.
Does an abnormal-looking mole mean skin cancer?
No. It means the mole needs a closer look and may be referred to your GP or assessed via a diagnostic report and, if required, biopsy.
Why is early mole screening important?
Because skin cancers are typically far more treatable when detected early, before they progress.
