How Do You Get Rid of Skin Lesions?

A skin lesion is an area on the skin that looks different from the surrounding skin. The lesion could have a raised appearance or be flat; they can be small, singular areas or cover a large part of your body. Common skin lesions include seborrheic keratoses (brown/black/tan raised growths that appear waxy or look like warts), moles, skin tags, rashes and cysts. Many skin lesions are benign, but your doctor may have a biopsy performed on the tissue just to be certain it is not cancerous. If a biopsy is recommended, the skin lesion will need to be removed.  

There are different methods that can be used to remove a skin lesion. These should be performed by a trained physician and not attempted at home.

• Shaving: a small blade is used to remove all or part of a raised skin lesion; no stitches are typically required
• Scissors: specialized scissors are used to cut around and under a raised skin lesion; no stitches are typically required
• Electrocautery: use of an electric current to burn off the skin lesion
• Curettage & Electrodesiccation: spoon-shaped instrument to scoop remove basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas and cauterize the area
• Laser excision: beams of laser light to destroy lesions
• Cryotherapy: method of freezing tissue with liquid nitrogen to destroy lesions 
• Full thickness skin excision: if there is a skin cancer concern, the lesion and the area around the lesion is deeply removed, down to the fatty layer under the skin; stitches are required and a skin graft may be required if a large amount of skin was removed

If you have any concerns about spots, bumps or any skin inconsistencies, it is recommended you consult your doctor to have the area checked. Westgate Family Physicians are a team of family doctors that provide skin checks and skin lesion removal in Spartanburg, SC. Contact us at (864) 574-0070 or click here to make an appointment.