Lesions of Concern

Almost 90,000 people are diagnosed with some form of skin cancer in New Zealand every year. Staying on top of your skin health is critical and we're here to help you every step of the way.

FAQs

What causes Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer doesn’t discriminate, and it can affect all types of people, men, women, across all ages, ethnicities and communities. Skin cancer occurs when cells begin to grow at an uncontrollable and unpredictable rate. It occurs when DNA damage in skin cells is not able to be repaired. This damage is often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds that triggers mutations or genetic defects. This in turn causes skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant lesions or tumours.

It Starts with Prevention

We all know New Zealand’s sun isn’t the gentlest on the skin – that’s why our skin cancer rate is among the highest in the world. The blazing sunshine and hole in the ozone layer over New Zealand leads to thousands of people each year suffering from melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, or squamous cell carcinoma. You can protect your skin in advance to save yourself a lot of worry and prevent yourself from becoming another skin cancer statistic.

What is a skin Biopsy?

If you have a skin issue that cannot be diagnosed visually, a skin biopsy can provide our Doctor with the answers they need – and in turn, the treatment you need.
Whether it’s a mole, a lesion or a rash, a skin biopsy can be taken to help our staff get more information to see what needs to happen next.

How is a Skin Biopsy performed?

Depending on the specifics of your case (location and nature of the lesion along with any suspected diagnosis), we will select from the following biopsy options:

  • Punch biopsy. A circular piece of tissue will be removed, with all layers of skin extracted for full observation in the laboratory. You may need stitches.

  • Shave biopsy. If the rash or lesion is only in the top layers of your skin, our team will shave off a piece skin – no stitches necessary.

  • Incision biopsy. When a larger piece of tissue is needed, a scalpel will be used to excise the tissue, creating a full-thickness biopsy. Stitches will be required.

  • Excision biopsy. As opposite to non-biopsy excisions, where the removal of the lesion is the whole treatment process, an excision biopsy involves full removal of the lesion but with an expectation that further treatment will be required.