Electrocautery
Electrosurgery is a technique often used in dermatologic surgery to provide superficial or deep coagulation or cutting of the skin. The skin has a poor conducting properties for the electrical flow of energy. Therefore, this energy builds up and is converted into heat.
The procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia. Skin lesions that are commonly excised with electrosurgery are:
- Non-cancerous moles (Electrosurgery is not used for excision of suspected or confirmed melanomas)
- Common skin tags
- Warts
- Squamous cell carcinoma that is in situ
- It is an ideal method for removal of hemangiomas and pyogenic granulomas due to their vascular nature and tendency to bleed.
- Other miscellaneous lesions
- Seborrheic keratoses