Skin Lesion

Background

Skin lesions are lumps or bumps on your skin, such as  moles, cysts, warts, cancers or skin tags. They can be removed from your skin for medical or cosmetic reasons using chemical and surgical procedures.

The technique used to remove your skin lesion will depend on factors such as its size and where it is on your body. During your consultation, Dr. Goldberg will advise you which method is most appropriate for you.

Based on guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health in Ontario, Dr. Goldberg will confirm whether the procedure will be covered by OHIP or whether it is considered cosmetic. Should the procedure be cosmetic, you will be given a cost to proceed. This quote is valid for one year.

Procedure

All procedures are done under a local anesthetic at our clinic. A total of 30 minutes is allocated from start to finish. Techniques to remove a skin lesion include the following.

• Shave down to the level of your surrounding skin using either a surgical blade or a laser (a high-energy beam of light) to destroy the lesion.

• Snip skin tags off with surgical scissors.
• Cut out cysts or suspected skin cancer and close the wound with stitches (these may be dissolvable) or skin glue.
• Freeze off with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) or treated with creams such as those that contain imiquimod or salicylic acid.
• Treat with photodynamic therapy. A chemical will be applied to your lesion and the doctor will then shine a light on it, which will activate the chemical and destroy the lesion.

A dressing may be applied to the wound if necessary but some wounds heal better if they are left uncovered.

Results

Once removed, the growth is sent to a laboratory for analysis to determine whether there are any abnormalities or the growth is malignant (cancerous).

Based on the type of skin lesion, a follow up appointment may be booked to review the lab rests, see how the area is healing or remove stitches.