What should you know about electrosurgery dermatology?

An electrosurgical unit converts electrical energy into heat at a treatment tip. Depending on the setting, the clinician may cut tissue, seal small blood vessels, or destroy a superficial lesion. The technique is used for selected benign growths and some other dermatology procedures, but the correct setting and depth depend on the diagnosis and location.

Treatment may involve local anaesthetic and a brief sensation of heat, pressure, or smell from treated tissue. A crust can form as the area heals. Electrosurgery is not automatically suitable for every bump, wart, mole, or lesion; examination comes before treatment, and some lesions need a different procedure or laboratory assessment.

Tell the clinician about implanted electronic devices, blood-thinning medicines, allergies, diabetes, immune problems, and a history of raised scars or slow wound healing. Ask whether the lesion will be tested and what local anaesthetic or wound dressing will be used. Do not shave, pick, or apply irritating products over the site unless instructed.

After treatment, keep the area clean and follow the dressing plan. Avoid picking the crust, friction, swimming, or strong sun exposure until the surface has healed as advised. Healing can vary with the body site, treated depth, and your skin’s response, and a lighter or darker mark may remain while the skin settles.

Contact the clinic for increasing pain, spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus, fever, or bleeding that continues despite firm pressure. Seek urgent help for uncontrolled bleeding, rapidly worsening swelling, faintness, or breathing difficulty. A lesion that returns, changes, or was not clearly diagnosed should be reviewed rather than repeatedly treated.

Ask what is being treated, why electrosurgery is appropriate, whether tissue will be sent for testing, and what alternatives exist. Confirm expected sensations, wound care, likely healing stages, scar or pigment risks, activity limits, and who to contact if the site becomes more painful or inflamed.