Understanding Skin Lesions: Causes, Treatments, and Removal Options

Noticed a growth on your skin that's not a mole but don't know what it is?

Don't panic, not all growths on your skin will necessarily be malignant/cancerous, they can be benign. Contact your GP or pharmacist to have your skin lesion checked out first.

What are skin lesions?

In very basic terms, skin that looks different to the surrounding skin like a mole etc

It is good practice to know your body and to know your skin, especially moles, that way you can identify if there are any changes. For resources on checking moles, I like Melanoma UK with the abcde check method and of course NHS.

Why do benign skin lesions appear?

Different benign skin lesions will appear due to a variety of different reasons, it can be due to genetics, sun exposure, an injury, age, hormones, environment.

What are common benign skin lesions?

Below is a list of common benign lesions, each are linked to a website with in-depth information. This is not a diagnosis tool and is not a replacement to seeking medical advice.

Moles

Skin tags

Warts

Verruca's

Sun spots

Seborrheic keratosis

Sebaceous Hyperplasia

Xanthelasma

Syringoma

Cherry angiomas (blood spots)

Benign skin lesions often cannot be removed on the NHS, as it is viewed as a cosmetic issue. Private dermatologists (doctors who specialise in skin) will be able to diagnose and remove. Trained beauty therapists and aesthetic practitioners can also remove some benign skin lesions.

Trained skin lesion removal beauty therapists and aesthetic practitioners cannot diagnose anything, so please do not ask - It may seem strange that I can treat a skin lesion but not diagnose it, but it's really important to respect the boundaries of all professionals. Obviously doctors have studied medicine and know your medical history fully.

Why can they not be treated on the NHS?

The NHS will treat conditions that affect you medically - whilst a benign lesion may not look like typical skin, it will not harm you. Doctors want to focus their time on the malignant skin lesions that affect your overall health/life and no longer have the time for the treatment of removing benign lesions. It can take several sessions to remove. Therefore highly trained beauty therapists and aestheticians can take extra training to remove them, freeing up precious medic's time.

Once you have been to the doctors/pharmacist and have confirmation that the mole is benign, then I could help with removal. If you feel more comfortable having a medic remove your skin mole, that is completely your choice and you will need to find a private dermatologist. A client was recently told it would cost £600 to remove, just to give you an idea of cost. You can google search to find private dermatologists and use companies like BUPA.

What skin lesions can Wildflowers Beauty remove?

I am trained in milia needle removal, fibroblast plasma pen and cryotherapy.

• Warts

• Verruca

• Milia

• Sun spots

• Seborrheic keratosis

• Sebaceous Hyperplasia

• Syringoma

• Cherry angiomas (blood spots)

• Skin Tags

• Benign Moles (but I must have a letter from your doctor confirming the mole is benign and can be removed)

How do I get the lesion removed?

We begin with a consultation. I need to know the history of your skin lesion and your medical history to make sure the treatment will not cause you harm. I will look at the lesion(s) and determine the best course of treatment. Depending on the type and size and age of lesion, will depend on whether I use plasma or cryotherapy, how many sessions you may may need and what type of result you can expect. We will discuss what will happen during the procedure, how to prepare and aftercare. Price for treatment will be agreed during consultation along with setting the date.

Will it hurt?

Every persons pain threshold is different. You will feel the treatment but the treatment time is quick. We can patch test a numbing cream and potentially use this, depending on the location of the lesion.

What is plasma or cryotherapy?

Plasma uses heat and Cryotherapy freezes to remove lesions. I will use what is appropriate for the safe removal and healing outcome for your lesion.

Plasma pen uses a sterile, disposable probe, which is charged by the current in the pen, to work with the plasma in our blood. This can cauterise lesions in removal. There will be a burning smell emitted during the treatment, this is normal.

Cryotherapy pen allows liquid nitrogen to be sprayed directly onto the tissue, a freeze and thaw cycle ensues, damaging the unwanted tissue. Whilst the treatment will be over, your body will be working at removing the new dead tissue. I use specialist equipment and have had training, to make sure that only the lesion is sprayed. Sometimes, more treatments are required, depending on the size of the lesion. A verruca or wart may take several treatments and this can be done once every 4 weeks.

What is the aftercare?

Straight afterwards it can feel stingy and could bleed. Open wounds will be covered upon leaving and you will receive an after care sheet to take home with you. Come to the appointment showered, as you will not be able to get the wound wet for the first 24 hours. The area will be highly sensitive to the sun, so wear SPF30 -50, 2 weeks prior and 4 months afterwards, regardless of the season. These treatments are better in autumn/winter and after any holidays in the sun.

How much is the treatment?

Consultations are free and Prices 'start from' because each lesion is different - they require a different method, amount of time, or amount of sessions. I may need to get a letter from your doctor to confirm your lesion diagnosis and this is not to alarm you, but to satisfy my insurance requirements. During the consultation we can look at and discuss the best course of action. From there, a price will be discussed and agreed to proceed.

Can anyone train in this?

No. This is not a one day course available to anyone. You have to be a higher trained beauty or aesthetic therapist, which means you have to be trained to at least level 3. During this training, we study anatomy and physiology. We have to have understanding of the body and how our body systems work. We need to understand skin. We cannot pass without completing and passing these exams. Level 3 is the same standard as BTECs Diploma Level 3 and A-levels.

Also to practise these treatments I have to have insurance, so the qualification must be accredited and accepted by my insurance And I have to have an inspection from the environment officer to obtain a license for myself, as a practitioner, and for my salon. In order to get this I have to have met the high standards set by industry and the authorities.

I hope this helps answer any questions you may have but please feel free to message me any questions you may have :)