Biopsy: While benign skin lumps are usually easy to diagnose and treat, in rare cases it may be worthwhile obtaining a sample of tissue for histological analysis prior to formal treatment. This may be to diagnose benign lesions that can be treated with topical creams or cryotherapy (freezing) instead of surgery, or to confirm that the lesion is not a skin cancer.

 

Shave: Some benign lesions, such as a mole (naevus) or skin tag (papilloma), are easily treated by shaving them off flush with the surrounding skin, using a surgical scalpel, and cauterising the base. The advantage of this technique is that it produces a flat round pale red scar that eventually fades and is often less noticeable compared with the linear scar left after formal surgical excision; however, there may be a higher recurrence rate in the region of 25% over 1 year.

 

Excision: Most benign lesions that occur under the skin (sebaceous cyst, epidermoid cyst, lipoma) require formal surgical excision to remove them completely from your body. Professor Ben Miranda specialises in this type of plastic surgery and always ensures that you are left with the smallest scar possible when excising your benign skin lesion; this will ensure that you have the best cosmetic outcome possible following your benign skin lesion excision.

 

 

• Anaesthetic: Local.

• Surgery time: 20-30 minutes.

• Hospital Stay: Day case.

• Recovery Time: 2-3 days.

• Time off work: 1-2 days (depends on lesion size and location).