Painless & scarless comprehensive Skin Biopsy in Hyderabad

What is a skin biopsy? When do doctors perform a skin biopsy?

Biopsy is actually a medical procedure where a part of any tissue is removed to see it and do further testing to determine what it is. So biopsy can be done on any tissue, like skin, scalp, lymph nodes or deeper organs like liver, lungs, etc.

Each of the lesions or growths on skin are typical and fit into definitions of these common growths or lesions (e.g. mole, skin tags, boils, scars, cysts or lipoma). When a skin lesion does not resemble the most common known conditions, that is when the doctor needs to do a biopsy.

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What are the different types of biopsies? What are different types of skin biopsies?

Skin biopsies are based on the size and extent to which the tissue is removed for biopsy:

A punch or shave biopsy is done for smaller lesions or superficial. In this a small punch is used to remove a very small amount of the tissue from the lesion and sent to the lab. This does not require any stitches and is a very short procedure.
Incisional biopsy: where the doctor extracts a larger and sometimes deeper part of the tissue for biopsy. In very large lesions, where the doctor is not sure what the lesion is, he will use incisional biopsy. If the doctor is able to remove the entire lesion, then it is called excisional biopsy
Excisional biopsy: When the doctor is able to excise (remove) the entire tissue, then this becomes excisional biopsy

There is another biopsy called curettage biopsy, but this is not routinely done.

When should I be worried about a skin growth or lesion or a tumor?

You should visit a doctor for the following symptoms or skin lesions:

Asymmetry: One part of the lesion looks different than the other
Borders are irregular: not the usual round or smoother borders seen in other types of lesions like moles or lipomas
Sudden growth: All visible common lesions change or grow very slowly, typically over months or years. But if you see a lesion that changes very fast, you must see a doctor
Pain or bleeding: from the lesion or from the surrounding tissue

What kind of doctor performs biopsy? Who performs excision biopsy?

Biopsy can be performed by any doctor who sees a suspicious lesion. For skin lesions biopsy can be performed by dermatologists, cosmetic / plastic surgeons and general surgeons.

What kind of lab test is performed in a biopsy? What happens if biopsy is negative? What happens if skin biopsy is positive?

After the surgeon has removed the tissue, it is sent to a lab for a basic histopathological examination. In the lab a pathologist observes the tissue under a microscope to see if the tissue has any cancerous signs. If there are no signs of any abnormality the pathologist will release a negative result and if there are abnormalities he or she will include the findings in the result.

In case of negative results, no further steps are usually needed. But if the report is positive then our surgeon will discuss the report with you and then guide you on the next steps. Example in one of the cases we found a low grade cancer in a suspicious lesion that looked like a mole. When the biopsy report was found positive then the surgeon re-examined the patient and suggested further tests to check if the cancer had spread. In this case the cancer was localized and the patient was asked to come back after a month and on the 3rd month for re-evaluation.

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How long does it take to get excision biopsy results?

It takes 24-48 hours to get the results of a biopsy. Rarely the pathologist might take a day longer if he or she wants to discuss the case further with the surgeon, before releasing the report.

Is excision biopsy safe? Is skin biopsy safe? Is excisional biopsy painful?

Yes, skin biopsy is a safe procedure. In fact it can help you prevent more serious complications by providing proper diagnosis.

Since local anesthesia is used for removing the tissue, biopsies are painless. In case of large excisional or incisional biopsies, there can be slight pain after the procedure, which can easily be managed with simple painkillers.

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Does excisional biopsy leave a scar?

Formation of scar is dependent on how much tissue is removed for the biopsy. At the time of biopsy the surgeon tries to remove as little tissue as possible to get the diagnosis. In case of large suspicious lesions, the surgeon will focus more on removing the entire tissue to ensure that you are safe and prevented from getting more aggressive cancers.

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What is the recovery time for an excisional biopsy? What care should I take after an excision biopsy or skin biopsy?

For smaller biopsies like punch and shave biopsy, you will recover in 7 to 10 days. For larger biopsies you would need 3-4 weeks for complete recovery.

After the biopsy it is very important that you keep the area clean and change dressings. Our surgeon may also prescribe you topical antibiotic creams for dressing the wound. Keeping the wound clean is very important to avoid infections at the biopsy site.

Is that a mole, a skin tag, or something else?

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