What is Skin Biopsy?

A skin biopsy is the removal of a small portion of abnormal skin. The removed skin is tested to see why it is not normal. There are three main types of skin biopsies:

• Shave biopsy—The outer part of the suspect area is removed.
• Punch biopsy—A small cylinder of skin is removed using a punch tool.
• Excisional biopsy—The entire area of abnormal skin is removed.

Punch Biopsy © 2009 Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

A skin biopsy is used to evaluate and/or remove an area of abnormal skin. It is most often done for the following reasons:

• To diagnose bacterial, viral, or fungal infection, cancer , inflammatory skin disorders (such as psoriasis ), or benign skin growths
• To verify the presence of normal skin at the edge of an area where a tumor was removed
• To monitor the effectiveness of a treatment

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have a skin biopsy, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Poor wound healing
• Scarring
• Nerve damage

Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Immunosuppression
• Bleeding disorders
• Circulatory problems

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge from the incision site
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Any new symptoms

In case of...