Consumers warned against at-home pigmentation-removal pens

Dermatologists are calling for a ban on sales of at-home freckle and pigmentation-removal devices. 

Dr Bav Shergill, president of the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group – closely aligned to the British Association of Dermatologists – has warned against the use of freckle-removal pens which can be bought for as little as £10.99 online. 

The pen-like devices use thermal energy or electric currents and are advertised for removing pigmentation marks such as freckles, moles and skin tags, but cannot detect if the marks could be potentially cancerous. 

The group believes the huge surge in video calls during lockdown has made people more aware of imperfections on the skin, leading to an increase in sales of the devices, which it says could inadvertently lead to skin cancer.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Dr Shergill said the pens could make cancerous melanomas harder to detect, and also cause burns, scarring and further pigmentation. 

He said consumers using these devices could trigger a scar or reaction on top of the skin which could cover the pigment and a make a melanoma difficult to recognise. The melanoma could also spread as the cancerous cells remain under the skin. 

“I think we have never had so much time to look at ourselves as we have at the moment,' said Dr Shergill. “And people who ordinarily wouldn't have more than a slight glance at themselves in the mirror before they left the house are now faced with having to look at themselves in a little box on the side of the screen for hours on end.” 

 

A prognostic melanoma test billed as "pioneering" is set to be available in the near future.