Bruce P.Robinson, MD
A surgical excision is an in-office procedure in which a skin lesion is removed by a dermatologic surgeon. This technique involves the use of local numbing medicine which is injected into and around the target area and followed by sharp dissection of the lesion from surrounding normal tissue. The most common scenarios for utilization of this technique include: treatment of skin cancers, atypical or suspicious moles (nevi), and cysts.
Cysts may remain asymptomatic, but if they continue to grow or become painful surgical excision is the treatment of choice. The cyst consists of a wall that makes the contents. To insure that the cyst does not return, it is best to completely excise it, including the wall, to prevent its recurrence.
Moles often become more raised over time. Occasionally they become irritated or are cut when shaving. A shave excision removes the raised portion of the mole. As a general rule, a complete excision is only performed if a mole is changing or when a complete excision will yield a better cosmetic result. Either of these treatments is performed under local anesthesia in our office. The shave excision takes less than a minute and a complete excision under a half hour. The functional and cosmetic results are excellent.
This option is typically for scars that are deeply pitted, raised, or for older surgical scars that did not heal properly. The scar tissue is removed, followed by careful stitching of the skin to leave a much smaller, thinner scar line or to change the scars shape and/or direction so it is less obvious.
Schedule an office visit to discuss your concerns and skincare goals with Dr. Robinson and the office visit cost will be applied to the future cost for the "consulted procedure". The "consulted procedure" must be completed within 30 days of your consult visit.
