Skin Lesions Specialist
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Oakland General Surgery
Einas Joseph, MD
General Surgeon located in Rochester Hills, MI
Skin lesions are marks or abnormalities on your skin, most of which are harmless. If you have a skin lesion that's causing problems or could be cancerous, Einas Joseph, MD, of Oakland General Surgery in Rochester Hills, Michigan, can help. Dr. Joseph is a skilled general surgeon who has considerable expertise in performing a variety of skin excision procedures to remove troublesome or dangerous skin lesions. Find out how you can benefit from her experience by calling Oakland General Surgery today, or book an appointment online.
Skin Lesions Q&A
What is a skin lesion?
A skin lesion is an area of skin that has some kind of abnormality. Anything from moles and warts to skin tags and birthmarks are skin lesions, and they’re mostly benign (noncancerous). However, they can be annoying, distressing, or uncomfortable.
Skin lesions that are of some concern include:
Actinic keratosis
Actinic keratosis is a precancerous skin lesion that tends to develop on skin that's had prolonged exposure to the sun. It causes scaly patches and most commonly affects people from middle age onward. While most actinic keratoses are benign, they can develop into skin cancer.
Basal cell carcinoma
These skin lesions often look like sores that don't heal. They might form a smooth bump with a dip in the middle, and you may see tiny blood vessels.
Squamous cell carcinoma
These skin lesions are thick, red, scaly bumps that sometimes bleed and can grow quite large without treatment.
Melanoma
Melanomas are the most worrying type of skin cancer. They're aggressive and readily spread to other parts of your body if left untreated. They often develop from moles, so look regularly for changes in the shape, color, texture, and size of your moles.
How are skin lesions treated?
Treatment of your skin lesion varies depending on the type of lesion. You might wish to undergo laser treatment for a prominent birthmark, for instance, or need an ointment for your warts.
Another option is cryotherapy, which involves freezing skin lesions like warts and actinic keratoses with liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen freezes the lesion, which kills the cells and causes the affected skin to peel away.
Some lesions require skin excision surgery to remove the affected area.
What skin lesions require excision?
Various skin lesions might require excision, where Dr. Joseph removes the affected tissue under local anesthetic. Techniques she uses include:
- Shave excision
- Simple scissor excision
- Full-thickness skin excision
- Mohs surgery
Mohs surgery is an enhanced technique that involves removing thin slices of the skin lesion and examining each one under a microscope. If cancer cells are still present, the surgery continues until you're clear of them. This method minimizes the scarring that can occur with full-thickness skin excisions.
To find out which treatment option is best for your skin lesion, call Oakland General Surgery today, or book an appointment online.
