Surgical Dermatology

Types of Surgical Dermatology

There are many types of surgical dermatology procedures available, depending on your needs and goals. Some of the most common ones are:

• Excision: This is a procedure that involves cutting out the skin lesion and some of the surrounding normal skin with a scalpel. It is used to remove skin cancers, moles, cysts, lipomas, and other growths. The wound is then closed with stitches or skin glue.

• Mohs surgery: This is a specialized procedure that involves removing the skin cancer layer by layer and examining each layer under a microscope until no cancer cells are left. It is used to remove skin cancers that are located on cosmetically sensitive areas, such as the face, or that have unclear margins or are recurrent. It preserves as much healthy tissue as possible and reduces the risk of recurrence.

• Cryosurgery: This is a procedure that involves freezing the skin lesion with liquid nitrogen or a cold probe. It is used to treat warts, actinic keratoses, seborrhoeic keratoses, and some skin cancers. It destroys the abnormal cells by causing frostbite and inflammation.

• Electrosurgery: This is a procedure that involves using an electric current to burn or cut the skin lesion. It is used to treat warts, skin tags, seborrhoeic keratoses, and some skin cancers. It destroys the abnormal cells by causing heat damage and coagulation.

• Laser surgery: This is a procedure that involves using a beam of light to vaporize or cut the skin lesion. It is used to treat vascular lesions, pigmented lesions, tattoos, hair removal, acne scars, and wrinkles. It destroys the abnormal cells by causing heat damage and selective photothermolysis.

• Dermabrasion: This is a procedure that involves using a rotating device to sand away the top layer of the skin. It is used to treat acne scars, traumatic scars, wrinkles, and tattoos. It improves the appearance of the skin by stimulating new skin growth and smoothing out irregularities.