Removing a mole to be on the safe side?

[pavel_arnaudov]

At my regular ObGyn visit (33 yo female) I was referred to a dermatologist to check two moles, which looked darker in color than the rest (dark brown almost to black, not black though). The color is dark, but uniform. Their size is about or less than a pencil eraser. Today the dermatologist looked at them and said that they were nothing to worry about, however he recommended to remove them just to be on the safe side - so that they don't develop in the future into something dangerous.
1. Is that necessary if there is really nothing to worry about?
2. Is it safe? If there is no issue today - can such a removal trigger a new issue?
3. Is this a common practice? - if the color and shape (even color/regular shape) as the doctor said are not to worry about - is it common to recommend removing them?
In this case isn't it preferable to monitor them for a while for any changes (color/size,...) before going for removal.

Thank you very much in advance!
Regards

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It's hard to be dogmatic about moles, since there is so much variation, and the decision to remove them is almost a "gut reaction" to some extent.  If your doctor thinks they should come off, and the location doesn't make the removal complex, I'd suggest going ahead rather than watching (and worrying.)  This is indeed a common practice.  Of course, we don;t take every mole off, and do monitor some of them, but if one looks a little funny, even if only a little, we biopsy and remove.  

Removing them is perfectly safe.  The idea that removal can trigger a problem is folklore.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff