Facial Plastic Surgery Centre

Facial Plastic Surgeryhead and neck surgery

Skin Treatments in Birmingham, London, Manchester & Leicester

Skin Lesions

SKIN LESIONS

  • Most facial skin lesions such as lumps, moles, cysts, skin tags or lipomas are benign. However, many patients choose to have them treated as they can be unsightly, painful or restrict movement. Most benign skin lesions are amenable to simple treatments. Where these lesions are suspected to be cancerous, surgical excision remains the treatment of choice.
  • Unlike other parts of the body, facial skin is not as forgiving of scars. Cosmesis remain an integral part of management and special skills are required to minimise scarring.
  • Mr Mattine is a member of the specialist multidisciplinary team managing skin cancer and has extensive expertise in cosmetic and reconstructive facial surgery. He can offer you treatment for these lesions with safety and cosmesis as his top priority.
  • Prevention remains the key in facial skin cancer treatment.
  • He also offers surgical tattoo removal and scar revision.

SKIN MOLES

  • Some moles are cosmetically unacceptable, whilst others may be a nuisance as they can come in the way of shaving or clotting, often being traumatised and bleed.
  • These benign moles on the face and neck respond well to removal techniques such as simple shave excision where they are shaved down to the level of the surrounding skin, cryotherapy (application f liquid nitrogen), application of chemicals such as salicylic acid or simply snipped off with surgical scissors.
  • Other moles with signs suggestive of a sinister pathology, such as changes in size, shape and colour, and having an irregular border are preferably treated with surgical excision, with the excised mole sent to a pathology laboratory for thorough examination.
  • These are simple procedures most often carried out under a local anaesthesia.
Skin Lesions
 

SKIN CANCER

  • Skin cancer is a growth that occurs when abnormal skin cells continue to multiply. This is usually not life-threatening if detected early enough. It can appear anywhere on the skin, but more commonly in sun exposed areas and hence more frequent in face/Head and Neck area.
  • Cancerous tumours can infiltrate adjacent tissues and metastasises (spread) to other areas of the body through lymphatic system and bloodstream.
  • There are two main types of skin cancer. Malignant melanoma which develops from melanocytes and the more common Non-melanoma skin cancer, such as SCC (Squamous Cell carcinoma) and BCC (Basal cell carcinoma) amongst others. The Melanomas usually start as a pigmented mole whilst the non-melanoma cancers start as a new lump or ulcer of the skin.
 

TREATMENT for SKIN CANCER

SURGERY

Surgical removal is probably the commonest modality used to treat both primary and recurrent skin cancers. Most can be performed under a local anaesthetic as an outpatient procedure, but some cases will require admission and treatment under a general anaesthetic.

CRYOTHERAPY

This is the process of freezing skin lesions where topical creams or gels are applied directly to the affected skin and used to treat precancerous lesions such as actinic keratosis or Bowen’s diseaseas well as benign lesions such as warts and seborrheic keratoses.

MEDICAL TREATMENTS

Chemicals in the form of topical creams such as Efudix™ and Aldara™ stimulate the body’s own immune system to fight against the abnormal cells. These are effective in the management of lesions such as actinic keratoses, Bowen’s disease and superficial basal cell carcinomas.

 

LIPOMAS

These are fatty lumps under the skin and common in head and neck. They grow slightly and can become painful, especially in the neck area. They respond well to surgical excision and can be performed as an outpatient procedure.


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