Cautery Information

Cauterization is the burning of the body to remove or close a part of it. It is sometimes done for medical reasons, such as to treat wounded areas, for instance, or sometimes performed as a recreational body modification.

Cautery i.e. electrosurgery is a procedure in which your dermatologist scrapes off a skin lesion and applies heat to the skin surface. The dermatologist will inject some local anaesthetic into the area surrounding the lesion to be treated. This will make the skin go numb so no pain should be felt during the procedure. You may feel a pushing sensation but this should not be painful. Accidental burns can be considered cauterization as well.

Cauterization was used to stop heavy bleeding, especially during amputations. Special medical instruments called cauters were used to cauterize arteries. During open-heart surgery, cauterization is used to close the many blood vessels in the cavity, as well as remove vessels to be used for coronary artery bypass surgery. It is usually consist of the removal of the following: Moles, Cysts, Lipomas, Earlobe repair and Scar revision.

These imperfections are removed using a combination of techniques including cautery, surgical excision, and laser. This is a multi disciplinary office where we are able to customize treatment for optimal results.

Caring for your skin after cautery:

You will help the healing by following these instructions:

• Firstly, leave the area dry for about 36 hours to allow a firm crust to form and until all possibility of bleeding has passed.

• Then after 36 hours, bathe the wound gently twice a day using a warm dilute antiseptic or boiled water with salt.

• Then, dry the lesion gently.

• keep the area covered with a piece of gauze or a fabric plaster if it is more comfortable. This is not however essential and you can leave the area open to the air.

Treatments:

There are a number of effective treatments for eradicating actinic keratoses.

Curettage is a commonly used treatment. Bleeding is controlled by cautery.

Removal of a keratosis often just produces a cornified lesion that is of no value for histology, but wherever possible, where any surgery is performed, excised tissue should be sent for histology to confirm the clinical diagnosis and to exclude malignancy.

Cryosurgery freezes off lesions through application of liquid nitrogen with a special spray device or cotton-tipped application. Ethyl chloride is often used for analgesia but if the lesion is thick and horny it may not penetrate and so infiltration under the lesion with lidocaine may be preferable.

Chemical peels make use of acids applied all over the area. The top layers of the skin peel off and are usually replaced within seven days by growth of new skin. Redness and soreness usually disappear after a few days.