Skin tumors

Nevus (plural: nevi) is the medical term for a mole. Nevi are very common. Most people have between 10 and 40. Common nevi are harmless collections of colored cells. They typically appear as small brown, tan, or pink spots.

You can be born with moles or develop them later. Moles that you’re born with are known as congenital moles. However, most moles develop during childhood and adolescence. This is known as an acquired nevus. Moles can also develop later in life as a result of sun exposure.

Nevi come in many shapes and sizes but most of them are harmless. Still, it’s important to keep an eye on your moles because changes could indicate a problem. If you’re worried about one or more of your moles, don’t hesitate to get it checked out by your plastic surgeon. He can do a biopsy to rule out skin cancer.

Wart is a lump on the skin that looks like cauliflower. It is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). This virus will cause, a benign skin growth, often called a "wart" or "papilloma". 

It can infect areas with a defect on the skin or in areas where the skin is exposed to excessive moisture, e.g. sweaty feet. Another common way of transmission of the HPV virus, is by touching wet surfaces, such as floors in swimming pools or change rooms, which are infected by people who already have warts. The most common areas affected are the hands and feet (plantar warts).

Although not dangerous they are highly contagious. In order to prevent infection of other body parts or other people, early treatment is recommended. Most common treatments are:

Cryotherapy: Cryosurgery involves freezing of the wart at -196 ° C. A blister will be created between the wart and epidermal layer, after which the wart and the surrounding dead skin fall off by themselves. An average of 3 to 4 treatments are required for large warts of the skin. It is usually the most common treatment.

Surgical removal of warts: Surgical removal is probably the most effective treatment, but the wound area may take several weeks to heel. In large warts a scar may remain.

Electrodesiccation: Electrocautery is a procedure that destroys tissue using electricity and high temperatures. The warts are basically burned. It is an effective method but it can leave scars.

Keratolysis (removal of dead surface skin cells): The most common keratolytic treatment of warts available over-the-counter involve salicylic acid. It may take up to 12 weeks to remove a stubborn wart and it’s not always successful. It is usually recommended for small warts in the very early stages

A lipoma is a benign (not harmful) tumor composed of adipose tissue (body fat). It is the most common soft tissue tumor. Usually they are soft, easy to move and in the most cases painless. In most cases they are small (under one centimeter diameter) but they can grow to sizes greater than six centimeters. 

Lipomas are commonly found in adults from 40 to 60 years of age, but they can also be found in younger adults and children. Usually, treatment is not necessary as they very rarely can transform to cancer. They can grow very slowly though, so that many patients prefer to do the plastic surgery when it is small avoiding thus large scars in the future.

Removal of the lipoma is performed under local anesthesia. The plastic surgeon will make a small skin incision and will remove the tumor completely. This will be send for biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

Cysts are noncancerous, closed pockets of tissue that can be filled with fluid, pus, or other material. They feel like large peas under the surface of the skin. They are located mainly on the scalp, face, back and ear lobes.

It is preferable to remove the skin cyst early in their presentation as they can become infected or inflamed. Some cysts can be drained to relieve some symptoms but this will not cure them.

Removal is performed under local anesthesia. The plastic surgeon will make a small skin incision and will remove the cyst completely. This will be send for biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.