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Stanford Health Care

Techniques

Our Approach to Skin Lesion Surgery

The doctors in the Stanford Health Care Dermatologic Surgery program not only have the expertise to help improve the health and appearance of your skin, they are leading the development of new technologies and techniques not yet available at other centers.

What We Offer You for Skin Lesion Surgery

  • Years of experience performing advanced skin lesion surgery.
  • Expertise using minimally invasive techniques to treat benign (noncancerous) lesions (tissue damaged by disease or injury), scars, cysts and moles, and skin spots.
  • Generally well tolerated procedures with very rare complications.
  • Treatment available in a comfortable, private, easy to reach setting.

What Is Skin Lesion Surgery?

Techniques for Skin Lesion Surgery

A numbing agent is applied to the area of the lesion to minimize any discomfort during the procedure.

Then you and your doctor have three options for removing a lesion, depending on its type, size, and location:

  • Heat it
  • Scrape it
  • Cut it out

In some cases, your doctor may combine both heating and scraping for best results.

What to do after skin lesion 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 areas several times each day until they heal completely — typically in about a week

Potential side effects of skin lesion surgery

Although skin lesion surgical procedures are generally very well tolerated 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 any of the following in the treated area:

  • Increased pain
  • Swelling
  • Redness
  • Drainage

What to Expect from Skin Lesion Surgery

Electrodessication: Heating and removing the unwanted lesion

Electrodessication provides an excellent option for  removing benign (noncancerous) lesions on the skin's surface by heating and removing them. Examples of lesions that may be suitable for this procedure include seborrheic keratosis and sebaceous hyperplasia.

Electrodessication is sometimes followed by curettage.

Curettage: Scraping off the unwanted lesion

Curettage is potentially the right option to remove lesions that are softer than the surrounding skin or clearly divided from normal, healthy tissue. Examples of lesions that may be suitable for this procedure include seborrheic keratoses, viral warts, actinic keratoses, and skin tags.

Excision: Cutting out the unwanted lesion

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

Potential side effects of skin lesion 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.

Our Clinics

Cosmetic and Laser Dermatology
Our laser and cosmetic clinic covers all your dermatologic needs, with top doctors, proven treatments, advanced technology and convenient hours.
Cosmetic and Laser Dermatology
450 Broadway Street
 Pavilion B, 4th Floor
 Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650-725-5272 Getting Here
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To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-725-5272