Benign and Malignant Skin Lesions
Skin lesions are areas of skin that look different from the surrounding area. These include a range of conditions such as acne, tumours, freckles or growths. It is often difficult to diagnose if a lesion is benign or malignant without professional assistance, and we recommend that you seek a trusted specialist to take a look at it.
Excision of Benign Lesions
Benign skin lesions such as seborrheic keratoses and pigmented moles are removed if:
- The diagnosis is uncertain
- They are large and disfiguring or
- If there is concern about malignant transformation in the future
Excision of such benign lesions are often done under local anaesthesia in the clinic procedure room and take 30 minutes to 1 hour. For larger lesions, specialized reconstruction with a flap or skin graft may be required and these patients will be treated in the Day Surgery Centre or as in Inpatient at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
The clinic is accredited for Integrated Medishield Claims and we can e-file the claims from the clinic for increased convenience.
Excision of Basal Cell Carcinomas and Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Malignant skin lesions should be excised with caution to ensure that all involved tissue is removed. The lesion is oriented and then sent for histopathology in the hospital lab.
For smaller lesions, this can be done in the clinic procedure room under local anesthesia and in a single session of 30 minutes to 1 hour. For larger lesions, specialized reconstruction with a flap or skin graft may be required and these patients will be treated in the Day Surgery Centre or as an Inpatient at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
The clinic is accredited for Integrated Medishield Claims and we can e-file the claims from the clinic for increased convenience.
Excision of Basal Cell Carcinomas and Squamous Cell Carcinomas with Frozen Section Control (Moh’s Micrographic Surgery)
Sometimes known as Moh’s micrographic surgery, we also offer excision biopsy of malignant skin tumours under frozen section control. This means that histopathology examination is done whilst the patient is still on the operating table to check if the tumour is completely removed. Only after this is confirmed is the patient’s wound closed. This can be done in one sitting by primary closure, flap or skin graft.
Plastic surgeons can uniquely offer excision and reconstruction in one sitting. These patients will be treated in the Day Surgery Centre or as an Inpatient at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Finally, adjuvant therapy in the form of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or treatment with biologics may be required and Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre has many dedicated specialists in these fields.
Treatment of Malignant Melanoma
This is a malignant tumour of the pigment cells in the skin and is recognized to be the hardest type of skin cancer to treat. We offer excision biopsy of malignant melnoma under frozen section control. This means that histopathology examination is done whilst the patient is still on the operating table to check if the tumour is completely removed. Only after this is confirmed is the patient’s wound closed. This can be done in one sitting by primary closure, flap or skin graft. In addition, treatment of affected lymph nodes may also be required.
Plastic surgeons can uniquely offer excision and reconstruction in one sitting. These patients will be treated in the Day Surgery Centre or as an Inpatient at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. For malignant melanoma adjuvant treatment with biologics brings significant benefits and Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre has many dedicated specialists in this field.
Reconstruction after Removal of Skin Lesions
Our specialist often works as part of a team to reconstruct patients after removal of tumours of the skin. He is uniquely trained in both craniofacial surgery and reconstructive microsurgery to offer a full spectrum of reconstructive options to patients.
