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Certain skin lesions require surgical excision. This may be purely for cosmetic reasons or if there is a suspicion of malignancy. If there is any suspicion about the nature of the lesion it will be submitted for analysis (histology).
The majority of skin lesions can be excised under local anaesthetic. This involves the injection of a local anaesthetic into the skin around the lesion. This stings initially but the anaesthetic effect follows very rapidly. The resulting wound may be closed primarily or a small local flap may be necessary to close the defect. Whichever method is used, the wound is closed with sutures (stitches). These will require removal and the time of removal will depend on the site of the lesion excised. You will be advised of this at your initial consultation. You should leave all dressings and sutures in place until your follow up visit. The affected area should be kept as clean and dry as possible.
For cosmetic lesions, the aim of the procedure is to remove the lesion and produce a good cosmetic result. For malignant lesions the priority of excision is complete removal of the lesion. Every attempt is made to produce a good cosmetic result but this end point has to be secondary to satisfactory treatment of the disease itself. It is important to understand that every excision will leave a scar. Every attempt is made to produce a scar which is cosmetically acceptable. However, numerous factors influence scar production. Some of these may be under the control of the surgeon or the patient but some may not. As a result, no guarantee can be made about the final outcome and appearance of a scar.
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