Skin Lesion Excision - Consent Form

A Concerning Skin Lesion Has Been Identified: The patient named above is found to have a skin lesion (or multiple lesions) which are identified as concerning by the doctor and/or the patient. 

Recommendation: The doctor has recommended that this skin lesion should be removed by surgical excision. In most cases, we are able to remove the entire skin lesion with a single procedure.  Dr Molloy will perform the procedure at the nursing home.

 

Please Note:

For Large or Complex Lesions: a partial excision (diagnostic biopsy) may need to be performed initially before a definitive treatment plan can be made once the biopsy results are available. For more extensive/complex skin lesions, Dr Molloy will offer a referral to local skin-cancer and dermatology specialists. 

Other Treatment Options: in all cases, Dr Molloy respects the choice of the patient and their carer to choose a less-invasive management plan such as simple 'watch and wait'. Some patients may wish to be referred to a dermatologist or skin-cancer specialty clinic which is better-equipped to manage skin problems than the nursing-home setting. Please inform the doctor if an alternate treatment option is desired.

 

How long?

The procedure takes about 1 hour in total.

 

What is involved?

1. Skin prep: the doctor will clean the area with antiseptic.
2. Local anaesthetic: will be injected near the lesion by the doctor.
3. Excision: a scalpel blade will be used to surgically remove the lesion in an ellipse shape, slightly larger than the lesion itself to enable complete removal.
4. Wound closure: sutures (stitches) will be used to close the wound. These are usually non-absorbable and will be removed by the nurses 7-10 days later.
5. Wound dressing: a dressing will be applied to cover the wound. We recommend the wound/dressing is kept intact (clean and dry) for at least 3 days.
6. Histopathology: we send the sample to the Southern Pathology lab where they perform histopathology tissue/cell examination. This can take 1-2 weeks and the results will usually inform us whether the lesion was cancerous or non cancerous, and whether it was removed entirely ('clear margins').

 

What are the risks?

• Scar tissue: a permanent scar may develop where incisions (cuts) have been made.
• Pain, stinging, swelling, bruising, redness, and skin discolouration.
• Recurrence or persistence of the skin lesion or cancer can occur.
• Localised infection, bleeding, and nerve damage at the excision site. 
• Allergic reaction to any of the products/materials used during the procedure.

 Skin/Wound Photography: 

• The doctor or nurse may take a photo of the skin lesion and wound before and after the procedure, and these images added to the patient's file. 

What is the cost?

$249.00 per procedure performed by our doctor, payable to Elder Medical.