Expert surgical removal of moles, cysts, lipomas, skin tags and other lesions

What to expect from our service

Pre-appointment

We take information on your lesion(s), find a convenient appointment time and follow up with confirmation details and a consent form which you shuould read but not sign until after your consultation when you are certain you wish to proceed with the removal of your lesion. The Doctor will have a hard copy for you to sign.

Please consider the proposed date of your procedure, as well as the requirement for any wound dressings and the time for wound healing, in relation to any upcoming travel or social, business or other commitments (for example, holidays, meetings, presentations, interviews, conferences, weddings, birthdays, parties, other celebrations, etc.)

The Consulatation

Your appointment includes a consultation with the doctor followed by the procedure. During the consultation, the doctor will discuss your general health and current medication. The doctor will then explain the procedure, discuss the likelihood of recurrence or scarring and how to prevent infection. When you are certain that you wish to go ahead with the lesion removal, you will be asked to sign a consent form.

The Procedure

You will be awake throughout your operation and usually can ask questions while it is taking place. You will feel an initial sting from the local anaesthetic injection and the anaesthetic will wear off after a few hours.

Doctors use a variety of techniques to remove skin lesions including incision, excision, cryotherapy and cautery. The removal of a skin lesion sometimes involves stitches. The doctor will advise you when and where to make an appointment for the removal of any stitches.

Although it is unlikely that your lesion represents a danger to your health, we may send it for laboratory examination and let you know the result as soon as we receive it. We may also request feedback so that we can identify any opportunities to improve our service.

Post-procedure

There is a low risk of post-operative infection for this type of surgery and you will be given advice about post-operative wound care at your appointment. It is vital that you keep the wound site clean and covered to avoid infection while it heals.

Our standard advice is to leave a period of around two weeks after surgery before going away, particularly abroad, to give the wound time to heal sufficiently. Such timings are ultimately at your discretion, but the purpose of this advice is so that treatment is accessible in the UK in the unlikely event that the wound needs further attention. In the period immediately after the procedure, our advice is to avoid any activities that could aggravate the wound. If you have stitches, these will usually need to be removed by a medical professional 7-10 days post-procedure.