Facial Skin Lesion Removal

Facial skin lesion removal is performed for the removal of cosmetically unsightly skin lesions on the face.

What are facial skin lesions?

Facial skin lesions are very common, and most people will have some on their faces at some point. Facial skin lesions can vary in size, shape, and colour, can appear anywhere on the face and may affect sensitive regions around the eyes, nose or mouth. Some skin lesions can be present at birth, such as birthmarks and moles, while some skin lesions can develop later in life, such as cysts, warts and lipomas. Several factors can cause skin lesions. Some skin lesions, such as freckles, birthmarks and moles, can be genetic; however, the most common cause of many skin lesions is environmental in origin. For example, infective skin lesions caused by bacteria.

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There are a wide variety of potential facial skin lesions, and the most common skin lesions include:

• Skin tags
• Warts
• Milia
• Moles
• Lipomas
• Cysts

These skin lesions can often be difficult to remove with the more old-fashioned techniques and with a greater risk of scarring. Older removal methods include creams and ointments, cryotherapy or curettage and cautery. Centre for Surgery offers only gold-standard methods of removing facial skin lesions with minimal risk of scarring. These include both surgical removal and laser removal with an Erbium YAG laser.

Some facial skin lesions are related to excessive sunlight and include:

• Age spots
• Seborrhoeic keratosis
• Actinic keratosis

The Erbium laser is an excellent treatment option for addressing these skin lesions and has superseded old-fashioned methods such as cryotherapy, curettage, cautery and topical creams. Erbium laser does not carry the risks of surgical removal, including incisions, the need for suturing and the downtime that comes with surgical removal methods. Scarring is also much more cosmetically pleasing compared with surgical methods.

Remember, if there is any change in the size and shape of an existing skin lesion or if you notice a new lump with potentially suspicious features, it is essential to be seen by your GP or a specialist dermatologist to rule out cancerous changes.

Those who will be considered good candidates for this procedure include those who have a facial skin lesion they want to remove.

You must be at least 18 years old to be eligible for this procedure.

Virtually all facial skin lesion removal cases can be performed under a local anaesthetic. This means you will be awake throughout the whole procedure, but you will be unable to feel any pain or discomfort. In rare cases where the skin lesion is very large or in a sensitive area such as the eyelids, a general anaesthetic may be preferred. Before the injection of local anaesthetic, the area is marked to delineate the area of skin removal. The area is then cleaned with an antiseptic solution before being carefully draped to preserve sterility. The two main facial skin lesion removal methods used at Centre for Surgery are surgical excision and laser removal. If there is concern that the skin lesion shows suspicious features, it is better to surgically remove the lesion and send for histology to rule out any cancerous changes. The skin lesion is carefully excised from the skin using precise surgical techniques. The surgeon will take extra care with the skin closure to minimise scarring. In very large skin lesions, it may be necessary to use a skin graft or tissue flap to close the resulting skin defect. Your plastic surgeon will advise you of the best options for treatment.

If the facial skin lesion is assessed to be purely benign, then a state-of-the-art Erbium laser can be used, which means no incisions and a virtually scarless result. Compared with CO2 laser, Erbium laser is ideal for removing superficial skin lesions on the face due to its precise mode of action, which results in a very low risk of hyperpigmentation or scarring. Most skin lesions are 

Facial skin lesion removal is performed as a day case. You can return home on the same day as your procedure. Once the local anaesthetic has worn off, you may experience some mild pain and discomfort. If necessary, you may wish to take some pain medication. It is normal to expect some swelling and bruising. This will be more noticeable in the first few days and fade after two weeks. We recommend you not return to work on the same day as your procedure. However, you may feel well enough to return to work the following day. If you have non-dissolvable sutures, you must return to the clinic to have them removed. Non-dissolvable sutures are often used on the face, resulting in improved scar cosmesis compared with dissolvable sutures.