Patient guide
Skin lesion removal: what counts as a lesion and your options
By the SkinOps team · Updated · 2 min read
Based on information from the NHS website. This guide is waiting for review by a clinician and is not medical advice.
Skin lesion is a general term doctors use for any growth or patch of skin that looks different from the skin around it. Moles, cysts, skin tags and warts are all types of lesion, and most are completely harmless.
Because the term covers so much, what matters is not the word itself but whether a particular lesion is changing, and whether it is bothering you enough to want it removed.
What can count as a skin lesion
- moles
- skin cysts
- skin tags
- warts and verrucas
- lipomas, soft fatty lumps under the skin
- actinic keratoses, dry scaly patches caused by sun damage
Each of these has its own typical appearance and its own guidance, so it is worth reading about the specific type if you know which one you have.
Changes that mean a GP should look
See a GP about a growth or patch of skin if it:
- is getting bigger, or has changed colour or texture
- hurts, itches, bleeds, crusts or scabs for more than 4 weeks
- is a new lump that you cannot explain
- is hard and does not move, or lasts more than 2 weeks
Do not wait to get it checked
These changes do not mean a lesion is cancer, but they need a proper look to rule it out. A private cosmetic clinic is not a substitute for that check.
How a lesion is assessed
A GP will usually ask about your health and sun exposure, then examine the lesion. They may take a photograph to send to a dermatologist, or refer you if they want a specialist opinion. If there is any doubt about what a lesion is, a small sample may be taken as a biopsy and sent to a laboratory.
How lesions are removed
The right method depends on the type of lesion, its size and where it is. Common options include:
- scraping it away with a curette, a spoon-shaped surgical instrument
- cutting it out and closing the skin with stitches
- freezing it off with cryotherapy
Most removals are done under local anaesthetic, so you are awake but the area is numbed. You may feel warmth or tingling as it starts to work, and some tingling as it wears off afterwards. Removed tissue is often sent for laboratory testing to confirm what it was.
NHS or private?
The NHS treats a lesion when there is a medical reason to, such as a suspected cancer or a lesion causing pain or repeated infection. Removing a harmless lesion only because of how it looks is treated as cosmetic and is not usually funded, so you would need to go private.
If you do go private, the NHS advises choosing a practitioner who is trained and experienced in the procedure and properly insured, booking a consultation first, and asking what the procedure and aftercare involve before you agree to anything.