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Skin Lesion Surgery
What Surgeries Are Used for Skin Conditions?
Sometimes the best way to treat a skin condition is with surgery — either by heating and removing the unwanted lesion (electrodessication), scraping it off (curettage) or cutting it out (excision).
When less invasive methods aren't possible or won't provide the results you desire, we provide a range of these surgical options.
What can I expect with skin surgery?
Electrodessication provides an excellent option for removing benign (noncancerous) lesions on the skin's surface. A tool with a thin metallic tip is used to precisely heat and remove these unwanted blemishes.
Examples of innocuous but aesthetically displeasing skin lesions that are treatable with this technique include seborrheic keratoses and sebaceous hyperplasia, among many others.
Electrodessication is sometimes followed by curettage, where treated lesions are gently scraped off to allow normal skin to heal below. Numbing agents are provided to minimize discomfort during both these procedures.
What to do after skin surgery
After your surgery, we ask that you:
- Ensure the treated area is kept clean the following day by gently washing it with a mild soap and water
- Apply Vaseline to any raw, eroded areas several times each day until they heal completely — typically in about a week
Side effects of skin surgery
Although these procedures are very well tolerated by almost all patients and complications are exceedingly rare, there are potential risks:
- Darkening or lightening of treated skin (almost always temporary)
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Scarring
Call our clinic if you experience increased pain, swelling, redness or drainage in the treated area.
Skin Lesion Surgery
We provide the surgeries you might need for successful skin treatment — scraping (curettage), heating (electrodessication) and cutting (excision).
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