Various Skin Lesions Identification and Surgical Treatment Options

Different types of skin lesions and how to identify them. A macule is a colored, flat and round lesion common examples of macules include freckles. A papule is an elevated, solid and obvious raised border lesion. An example of a papule is a common wart. However any oddly shaped or strangely colored wart looking lesions should be examined immediately by a physician, in some cases cancerous lesions can easily be mistaken for a wart and should be examined by a medical professional. A vesicle or blister is an elevated, round lesion that is commonly filled with serum and in some cases can rupture leaking the fluid. Blisters are normally caused by burns. A wheal or hives are elevated skin lesions that have an irregular border however are not filled with any fluid. Wheals or hives are normally caused by allergic reactions. Pustules or boils are severe elevated skin lesions that are commonly filled with pus and have elevated, raised borders. Boils in most cases are extremely painful if not treated early and can be infected with severe resistant form of staph known as MRSA or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, which in some cases can be very severe causing surgical intervention to debriding of the infection. A nodule is an enlarged lymph gland and is a skin lesion that is an elevated solid mass that normally extends into the deeper tissue. A cyst is a tissue growth that is a round, encapsulated, fluid filled or solid mass that is beneath the skin. Cysts can develop anywhere on the skin and often require surgical drainage or excision. However in cases cysts can be treated and resolved with aggressive antibiotic therapy.

If surgical treatment is necessary for a suspicious skin lesion it can be achieved by many different methods such as conventional methods, laser therapy, cyrosurgery or electrodesiccation. Conventional excision of skin lesions involve removal of the lesion through surgical means, in which the whole lesion is removed. In most cases a portion of the surrounding skin is also removed in order to make sure all the lesion material is removed.

Laser therapy involves the energy of the laser vaporizing the tissue and coagulating any bleeding vessels. Laser treatments are used to remove tattoos and pigmented skin lesions. Cryosurgery is the process in which the application of extreme cold destroys the tissue. Liquid nitrogen circulates when touched to the skin lesion or inserted into the lesion and a scab eventually forms at the lesion site. Healing from cryosurgery usually takes approximately six weeks.

Electrodesiccation or electrosurgery is the use of electrical current to destroy the tissue. Skin tumors or plantar warts are common disorders that are treated with electrosurgery.

I have been a nurse for many years and most skin lesions are found to be benign in nature, however any suspicious skin lesions should be evaluated by a medical professional. When identifying a suspicious skin lesion all a person has to do is examine other lesions on their body if any lesion is different from the others either by color or possesses an irregular border it should be immediately evaluated by a physician. I have seen many people wait too long to have suspicious skin lesions evaluated, waiting too long can cause removal of the cancerous skin lesions to result in disfigurement. Although malignant lesions for the most part are rare, it is extremely important for early diagnosis and removal of any malignant skin lesions.

References for this article include: www.skinsight.com
dermatology.about.com/od/benignlesions/Benign_Skin_Lesions.htm
emedicine.medscape.com/article/1294801-overview
www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/slideshow-precancerous-skin-lesions-and-skin-cancer