The stores that began offering the service this week – to patients aged 18 years and above – range from Southampton to Aberdeen (see map below), Boots confirmed to C+D today (May 5).

The first mole scanned will cost £35 and each additional mole scanned will cost £15, Boots said.

As part of the screening process, patients have an initial 20-minute consultation with a member of the Boots pharmacy team. A trained Boots healthcare advisor then captures images of the mole or pigmented lesion, and sends them to a dermatology specialist for analysis, the health and beauty giant said.

If the mole is identified as a potential risk, a dermatology nurse will contact the patient directly.

Boots is offering the service, which follows a pilot launched in February 2016, in conjunction with cancer screening company ScreenCancerUK. It "aims to raise awareness of melanoma among young people and encourage them to establish a life-long habit of regularly checking their moles”, Boots said.

Boots pharmacy director Richard Bradley said the service is a “fantastic example of how community pharmacists can use their clinical skills to support patients’ health in locations and at times that are convenient to them”.

Last month, Boots rolled out its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination service to boys aged 11-16, who are not covered by the existing NHS scheme.