How long does a skin check take?
A skin check can take up to 30 minutes. This includes some time for the doctor to ask you questions about your general health. Make sure your tell the doctor about any spots or moles you have which are new, sore, changing or unusual. The actual check of your skin can take from 5-20 minutes depending on your skin type and the number of moles and spots to be looked at.
What equipment does the doctor use?
Your doctor will use a dermatoscope to have a closeup/magnified look at any spots of concern. A dermatoscope is a bit like a torch with a magnifying glass attached to the end. Using a dermatoscope is painless. Sometimes the doctor may take a photograph of a spot or mole so it can be monitored over time for any changes in appearance.
What happens if the doctor finds anything which could be skin cancer?
Your doctor will tell you straight away if you have any moles or spots which require testing. To test the mole or spot the doctor will either take a small biopsy (sample) of it, or completely excise (cut out) the spot of concern – under local anaesthetic of course. In most cases another appointment will be made to remove the abnormal mole or spot. This type of minor surgery can be carried out at Clinic Eleven. There is usually no need for this to be done in hospital.
After it is removed, the mole or spot is sent to a pathology laboratory for testing. Receiving the test results can take from five to ten days.
Skin Biopsy
When you receive a skin biopsy, there are three main things that will occur. Local anaesthetic will be injected, the piece of tissue will be removed according to the specifics listed above, and finally, the wound will be closed with sutures if necessary.
Depending on the specifics of your case (location and nature of the lesion along with any suspected diagnosis), we will select from the following biopsy options:
Punch Biopsy
A circular piece of tissue will be removed, with all layers of skin extracted for full observation in the laboratory. You may need stitches.
Shave Biopsy
If the rash or lesion is only in the top layers of your skin, our team will shave off a piece skin – no stitches necessary.
Incision Biopsy
When a larger piece of tissue is needed, a scalpel will be used to excise the tissue, creating a full-thickness biopsy. Stitches will be required.
Excision Biopsy
As opposite to non-biopsy excisions, where the removal of the lesion is the whole treatment process, an excision biopsy involves full removal of the lesion but with an expectation that further treatment will be required.
We perform several different kinds of biopsies at Clinic Eleven, but all of them follow the same basic process: Injection > Removal > Sutures > Treatment
Cryotherapy Liquid Nitrogen Removal
This gas which liquefies at an extremely cold temperature is used to destroy skin cancers, pre cancerous lesions, warts and other skin growths. The procedure is slightly painful, however the pain (often described as a ‘stinging sensation) generally resolves quickly. The treated skin will initially become red then a blister may appear on the treated site within a few minutes or several hours. It will then become a crust and a scab, which eventually will lift. The time it takes to heal varies, but is usually within 5-10 days, with the face being the quickest to heal.
