Our surgeons provide a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for skin lesions. Skin lesions include moles, lumps, skin tags, chronic wounds, and ulcers just to name a few. They can range from troublesome to cancerous or precancerous.
In some cases, patients are bothered either by the discomfort or the aesthetic nature of these lesions. In others, primary care providers advise that they be treated by a surgeon. Depending on the size, complexity and location of the lesion, many of these can be removed in the office on an outpatient basis. Your surgeon can only provide a proper diagnosis and treatment plan after seeing you for a consultation, however.
Biopsies
A biopsy is performed by your surgeon when a definitive diagnosis is not possible through a physical examination or scans and X-rays. In a biopsy, the surgeon removes a piece of the tissue in question and sends it to a pathologist for analysis. There are several methods of biopsy that Surgical Associates of WNY provides, including fine needle aspiration, punch biopsies, core biopsies, and excisional biopsies. Some of these can be performed right in the office.
Once a pathologist looks at the cells and issues a report, then a treatment plan can be made.