How to remove lumps and bumps safely

It’s a fact of life that a number of lumps and bumps can appear on our skin for a variety of reasons. Thankfully, the majority of these are not serious.

First things first

Before selecting how to remove lumps and bumps from your skin, it is important that you first have a medical diagnosis so that we can ensure that no melanoma is present and also understand what your concern is and therefore how to treat it. Many people book their appointment suggesting they have a ‘mole’ or a ‘skin tag’ and frequently it’s diagnosed as another type of benign skin concern. Your doctor will typically examine your skin and where necessary, take a tissue sample for further examination.

Following your medical diagnosis, it is really important to remember that it is never advisable to try and remove any type of lumps and bumps yourself as you risk infection and scarring. This is particularly important for mole removal but applies to all types of skin lesions as you may end up partially removing something that is possibly sinister (if you are waiting on the results of an investigation) and causes further health problems for yourself.

Skin tags

Whilst skin tags may appear harmless, as a general rule they only appear in areas where there’s friction. So, if there’s one that has appeared in an area that has no friction, get it checked out by your doctor first. Our nurses are qualified to remove skin tags, and there will always be a pre-screening for your safety prior to any treatment, with a referral to the dermatologist if they think it needs further investigation.

What can be removed safely

Harmless skin growths such as skin tags, some lipomas, Seborrhoeic Warts, Intradermal naevus, Xanthelasma and benign moles can all be removed safely in our Clinic. Whilst these can be left untreated, you may have found that they catch on your clothing, feel uncomfortable or just look unsightly and therefore would prefer to have them removed.

The good news is that this is usually a simple procedure under local anaesthetic by one of our nurses.

Removal Treatments

At your initial consultation, we will discuss with you the appropriate removal procedure for your skin issue. We ensure that you know what to expect throughout the process and how many treatments are usually required. It is worth noting that although you may have a treatment preference for your skin lesion, your practitioner will only recommend the most effective and safe methods of removal for you as an individual based on their assessment of you.

Hyfrecation or Electrocautery Treatment

We use a Hyfrecator, which looks a bit like a pen with a metal loop on it, that uses an electric current to cauterise the affected tissue. This treatment is particularly used for the removal of skin tags, intradermal n. and some milia.

Curettage Treatment

This is the removal of tissue or growths from the skin by scraping or scooping it with a curette. This treatment is particularly used for the removal of moles intradermal n, warts and verrucae.

Excision

Excision is the term for simply cutting out the affected area including moles, some scars, potential skin cancers and other skin concerns you need a diagnosis for (these will be sent for histology before any treatment is carried out).