We provide skin surgery and affordable treatments without waiting lists based in Portsmouth.
At Halo Medical Services, we’re dedicated to providing high-quality, personalised medical care. Our doctors can remove cysts, lipomas, skin tags, moles and irritating lumps safely and efficiently.
One of the most important aspects of diagnosis both in medical and surgical dermatology is a medical history and basic clinical examination. The most important part of your medical history is your symptoms, particularly if there is a new or changing skin lesion.
Many GPs and dermatologists use a device called a dermatoscope to examine skin lesions in more detail. This device has a special lens that allows us to see particular details and structures that lie beneath the surface of the skin, not visible to the naked eye. In experienced hands the use of a dermatoscope can improve the earlier detection of skin cancers, and can also reduce the need to remove harmless skin lesions.
A skin biopsy is a procedure used to remove all, or just a part of your skin lesion so this can be examined by a dermatopathologist under the microscope. If a skin lesion is deemed as sinister, often the whole lesion will be removed (excision biopsy), or sometimes a smaller sample is taken (a punch biopsy).
This is a minimally invasive technique whereby the skin lesion is surgically pared away to blend with the rest of the surrounding area. This may be performed using a derma blade, a curettes or scalpel. It is often used to remove smaller superficial moles (junctional naevi), or smaller protuberant moles (intradermal naevi), and seborrheic keratoses. This is a much faster and simpler technique compared to full surgical excision, however there is a higher chance of recurrence if any of the deeper “rooted” component of the mole remains. Local anaesthetic is used and the procedure takes 5 minutes. As stitches are not required, you can return to normal activities immediately, with just some ointment and dressing required.
Traditional mole excision is reserved for large and deeper moles such as compound and intradermal naevi. This is a minor operation and a more complex procedure requiring deep dissolving suture and superficial sutures. The area of concern is initially injected with local anaesthetic. The mole is then surgically removed by cutting all the way down to the subcutaneous fat layer to ensure complete removal. The wound is then closed with sutures that are removed in 7-14 days. This procedure can range from simple to complex depending on anatomical location. Aftercare involves dressing, applying ointment and you will be advised to avoid exercise for 2 weeks to prevent the wound reopening.
In this procedure radio waves are transferred to the skin via an electrode. This creates a process known as intracellular volatilisation causing steam to develop in the cells, causing them to rupture. The procedure is stopped when the base of the lesion is flush or just deeper than normal skin. The device used operates at 4.0Mhz, about 4 million cycles per second, thereby causing far less collateral tissue damage. This procedure does not cause artifact that might affect histopathological diagnosis. This tends to produce minimal scarring and by 30 days the lesion is often indistinguishable from surrounding skin. A good cosmetic outcome requires conservative surgery, and about 3% of patients may require an additional procedure
This procedure uses precise targeted bursts of light to break down the mole without affecting the surrounding skin. This tends to be used only for superficial lesions affecting areas such as the face and neck. It can take several sessions for moles to be completely removed, although each session takes just a few minutes with no downtime. Some Vaseline is applied for several days post procedure. Note, this procedure is not used for irregular or cancerous moles or areas of severe photodamage.
This procedure uses a tiny probe that creates plasma energy without even touching the skin. This creates localised heat that causes superficial sublimation of the skin, turning the solid tissue directly into a gas. Local anaesthetic is used, and a small scan will be formed which will fall off in 3-5 days. Aftercare includes some daily ointment and there is little downtime.
The approach used by Dr Shrivastva depends on a full history from the patient, an assessment of the mole itself, dermatoscopic examination and assessment of mole depth. In many cases a shave excision, RadioSurgery or PlexR will provide a far better cosmetic outcome than a full surgical excision (requiring sutures). However, in many instances a surgical excision is necessary for best cosmetic outcome.
Is the mole new or longstanding? Are there any changes that warrant biopsy or full excision, surrounding photodamage (sun damaged skin), other moles present on the body, signature patterns of other moles in the patient?
Is the mole in an anatomically delicate/sensitive area – e.g. the nose, eyelid, lips, or located in a highly dynamic area?
Is the mole light, tan or dark brown?
Is the mole flat or raised?