Do You Need a Referral for Surgical Excision?

Surgical excision removes a skin lesion or other defined area with a margin of surrounding tissue when appropriate. The clinician examines its appearance, depth, position, and relationship to nearby structures before choosing the technique. Removed tissue may be sent for laboratory examination when diagnosis needs confirmation. The consultation covers local anaesthetic, wound closure, scar expectations, aftercare, and whether another treatment would be more suitable.

Contact the dermatologic-surgery service to ask about direct booking, referral forms, and any plan authorisation. Bring prior reports or photographs, a list of medicines and allergies, and information about bleeding problems or previous reactions to anaesthetic. Do not pick, cut, or try to remove a lesion at home. The surgeon needs to see the area in its current state and may recommend a different diagnostic procedure.

Request timely medical review for a lesion that changes, repeatedly bleeds, forms a persistent crust, becomes painful, or fails to heal. Seek urgent help for uncontrolled bleeding, rapidly spreading redness, fever, severe swelling, or breathing difficulty after a procedure. These warning signs guide urgency independently of whether a referral is needed.

Ask why excision is recommended, whether the tissue will be examined, how the wound will be closed, and where the scar is likely to lie. Clarify medicine adjustments, activity restrictions, dressing changes, result timing, and whom to contact if the wound opens or becomes infected.