How is a biopsy performed on a lesion, specifically on the tip of the nose?

[timejim]

I am going to have biopsies done on several lesions, face and arm, soon. How do they do a biopsy on a lesion, especially on the tip of your nose? Do they do a scraping or do they actually cut away part of the lesion? I was wondering if any of yall were familiar how it is done. Thanks

 

[adrenaline]

Originally posted by timejim
I am going to have biopsies done on several lesions, face and arm, soon. How do they do a biopsy on a lesion, especially on the tip of your nose? Do they do a scraping or do they actually cut away part of the lesion? I was wondering if any of yall were familiar how it is done. Thanks

Lesions on nose will probably be biopsied involving only a superficial excision with a scalpel ie: "scraping" (We usually inject lidocaine so the lesion "blebs" up and we excise by cutting parallel to the base of the skin). Many times you can get enough tissue this way and the margins are clear. If it comes back bad and the margins are not clear, a full excision requiring sutures will probably be done by a plastic surgeon.

A core or punch biopsey is only warranted in lesions that we are trying to sort out an autoimmune disease and needs special immunnohistological staining for antibodies on the basement membrane of the epidermis.

 

[timejim]

Originally posted by adrenaline
Lesions on nose will probably be biopsied involving only a superficial excision with a scalpel ie: "scraping" (We usually inject lidocaine so the lesion "blebs" up and we excise by cutting parallel to the base of the skin). Many times you can get enough tissue this way and the margins are clear. If it comes back bad and the margins are not clear, a full excision requiring sutures will probably be done by a plastic surgeon.

A core or punch biopsey is only warranted in lesions that we are trying to sort out an autoimmune disease and needs special immunnohistological staining for antibodies on the basement membrane of the epidermis.

Thankyou, does it hurt? How long before results come in?

 

[adrenaline]

The worst part is the lidocaine, it feels like a bee sting and then you won't feel the scalpel at all. The biopsey results can take up to two weeks due to the fact that fixing and staining skin biopsies are actuallyquite complicated and can take days to a week to process before a pathologist can read it.

 

[timejim]

Originally posted by adrenaline
The worst part is the lidocaine, it feels like a bee sting and then you won't feel the scalpel at all. The biopsey results can take up to two weeks due to the fact that fixing and staining skin biopsies are actuallyquite complicated and can take days to a week to process before a pathologist can read it.

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