A skin lesion is an abnormal growth that can appear in any part of the body. They can be benign, premalignant or malignant. It is important to diagnose and classify the skin lesions based on the characteristics and symptoms to decide on accurate and most effective treatment to remove the diseased condition. At Anew advanced aesthetic day care centre, our aesthetic surgeon performs accurate diagnosis based on the manifestation of the skin lesion and the previous medical history.
Moles and tags are common skin lesions that are benign. A premalignant skin lesion bears the increased risk of cancer. Immediate treatment is necessary to avoid any complication of malignant skin lesions. Any variation in color, size and shape of growths in the skin has to be diagnosed and treated. If the skin lesion is painful and bleed, they can indicate the possibility of cancerous lesions.
Causes of skin lesions
Infection is the main cause that leads to the development of skin lesion. This can be due to the infection in an individual’s body such as chick pox or through the transmission of an infection from an individual to another such as wart virus that is transferred through skin contact. Skin lesions are hereditary or can be caused by an allergy to certain substances or medications.
Diagnosing skin lesions
Diagnose a skin lesion include conducting a full physical examination to observe and to gather all symptoms of the skin lesion. A biopsy will be performed by obtaining the sample from the affected area to confirm the malignancy risk factor.
Treatment for skin lesions
The aesthetic surgeon decides on the treatment procedure after evaluating the type of skin lesion, size and location. For systemic infection, medications are prescribed to reduce the inflammation and pain of the skin lesion. Most of the procedures are performed under anesthetic to reduce the pain and discomfort during the procedure
Treatment methods to remove a skin lesion include:
- Shave biopsy: this procedure involves shaving off the skin lesion from the area. A surgical blade is used to cut off the outgrowth and later an electrical current is used to seal the skin and to stop bleeding. Mostly used to remove mole and tags.
- Excisional biopsy: Used to remove larger moles, tags and any outgrowths that can be cancerous if left untreated. The whole lesion along with the peripheral skin in the area is removed.
- Cryotherapy: this is a freezing technique performed with liquid nitrogen. In this process, liquid nitrogen is sprayed on the target. After the application, a blister is formed which will eventually fall along with the skin lesion. Curettage: this method works by scooping away the skin lesion from the area.
- Light therapy: malignant skin lesions are treated using the photodynamic therapy that puts into use the energy of laser beams. In this process, a chemical solution is applied to the skin lesion and the laser beam is centered on the target. The energy from the laser beams activates the chemical and the destroys the malignant skin lesion.
