Types of electrosurgery: how they differ

Electrosurgical cutting uses a concentrated electrical current to divide tissue. Desiccation dries tissue with a lower-intensity current, while fulguration applies sparks across a small gap to treat a surface. Electrodesiccation places the electrode against tissue to dry and destroy a targeted area. The clinician selects the method according to the lesion, depth, location and desired control of bleeding. An electrosurgical unit supplies and regulates the energy; it is not the diagnosis itself.

Tell the clinician about implanted electrical devices, medicines that affect bleeding, allergies to local anaesthetic and any history of slow wound healing. Follow instructions to keep the treated area clean and lightly protected. A scab, tenderness or temporary color change can occur as the site heals; do not pick the crust. Avoid unapproved creams, swimming or friction until the wound-care plan allows them. The final appearance may take time to settle, especially on visible skin.

Contact the treating clinic for worsening pain, spreading redness, increasing warmth, pus, persistent bleeding or fever. Urgent care is appropriate for heavy bleeding, breathing difficulty or a rapidly expanding swelling. A lesion that returns, changes or does not heal should be rechecked, because electrosurgery may treat visible tissue without explaining why it formed.

Ask which technique is planned and why, whether tissue will be sent for testing, how deep the treatment will go, what scar or pigment changes are possible, and how to care for the wound.