Skin lesion removal
e.g Skin tags, warts, verruca, seborrhoeic keratoses, cherry angiomas, haemangiomas
Initial appointment £100
Follow up £50
about skin lesions
What is a skin lesion?
A skin lesion is an area of skin that is distinctly different to the surrounding skin. They can be present from birth (primary, acquired) or show up later in life (secondary)
They can be Benign (non-cancerous) or
Suspicious and need further investigation as they could be, or become, malignant (cancerous)
Common benign skin lesions:
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skin tags
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warts & verrucae
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seborrhoeic keratosis
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cherry angioma / haemangioma
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lentigo / age spots / liver spots / freckles
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naevus (mole)
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milia cysts
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acne
How do you know they are benign?
As a nurse-led clinic, I take time to assess all lesions prior to treatment to ensure that they are suitable for removal and the most appropriate treatment is used for your individual needs. I use a specialist camera called a Dermatoscope which helps me to see the lesion on the skin and under the skin. You can read more about dermatoscopy (or dermoscopy) below.
how do you remove lesions?
Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen gas to freeze the lesion to -98 degrees within seconds. This allows me to create an intentional wound to the area we wish to remove, and, like any other wound, the body will remove the damaged tissue and replace it with healthy new tissue over the course of a skin cycle (4-12 weeks)
Cryotherapy treatment can be repeated after 4-6 weeks if required
how long until its gone?
This depends on many individual factors as well as the type and size of the lesion. Sometimes a lesion will not seem to be doing anything after the scab has fallen off, but its important to remember that skin renews from the bottom up, so its still building up the new cells underneath.
As an average
Skin tags: 7-10 days
Surface level lesions: 10-14 days
Raised lesions: 2-4 weeks
Crusty / large lesions: Likely to take more than one treatment so could be several months until fully cleared or improved.
what happens at my appointment?
When you book your appointment, I will send you a client questionnaire and some information about the service to read. I will check through this and we will start your appointment with a chat to gather your history including any skin conditions, previous history of skin lesions and history of sun exposure.
After this, I will check the lesion(s) with a magnifying glass and the Dermatoscope camera and if I am confident that the lesion(s) are benign and can be removed at the appointment, I will explain the method(s) I intend to use, ensure you fully understand and feel comfortable and ask you to sign a consent form.
Then we are on to treatment. I will explain and check in with you throughout the procedure to make sure you are comfortable. Once we are finished I will talk you through some easy to follow aftercare advice and you are done!
about dermoscopy
What is dermoscopy?
Dermoscopy uses light to remove reflection and allow us to see 'through' the skin or lesion to the superficial layers underneath.
In the picture to the side, you can see what a lesion looks like to our naked eye, and then what it looks like under Non-polarised light (left) and Polarised light (right).
With the dermatoscope we see much more detail, including blood vessels, keratin, and pigmentation. From the colours, shapes and structures we see, we can confidently tell if we see the known characteristics of specific benign lesions, or if we see specific characteristics which cause us concern.
I qualified as an Independent Dermoscopy Practitioner after a 6 month intensive course of online learning, real life case studies and exams. This means I can see and treat you even if you haven't already seen a GP or healthcare professional.
Risks & Side Effects
Common:
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Redness & itching
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Localised swelling
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Blistering
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Weeping / oozing / crusting
Rare:
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Bleeding
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Pins & Needles / Nerve pain (finger treatment)
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Headache (head & neck treatment area)
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Scarring / hypopigmentation
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Damage to hair follicles / alopecia
Post-treatment complications:
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Infection
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Scarring
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Sunburn to new skin
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Recurrence / regrowth
I continually keep my skills up to date and follow best practice guidelines to ensure that any risk is minimised. Post-treatment complications can be minimised by following the aftercare instructions.
FAQ's
Does it hurt?
Cryotherapy feels like "pins and needles" when it is being frozen, and can throb when we stop and the area 'defrosts'. If an area is treated on the face, head or neck then it can result in a headache for a short time afterwards. The areas can be uncomfortable, itchy, red and swollen after, but you can take your normal painkillers and an antihistamine after your treatment to help with this.
Is there anyone who shouldn't be treated?
Cryotherapy is suitable for most people, unless you have had a bad reaction to it in the past, or are intolerant to extreme cold. I also DO NOT treat "pre-cancerous" lesions (Actinic Keratosis / Bowens disease) as this is not the recommended first line treatment for these.
How long until its gone?
This depends on so many factors including what the lesion is, where it is and how big it is. As a general rule, it will take a full skin cycle (where the dead skin comes off and new skin pushes up from the bottom) to see changes in any skin treatments. This cycle is around 28 days when we are young, but can be as long as 84 days when we get older.
For cryotherapy, I generally ask people to wait 4-6 weeks before deciding if they need a further treatment. Often the area will scab and heal, but will continue to improve as the skin layers push upwards.
How many treatments will I need?
Again, this can vary significantly with the type of lesion, age and other factors.
Small lesions (such as skin tags) often take a single treatment and are gone within 7-10 days.
Larger lesions, dry scaly lesions or lesions that are proud of the skin surface can take multiple treatments as they are removed layer by layer.