Skin lesion

Hi, I went to visit my gp surgery with a lesion on my back it started with a brown patch of skin of which was an irregular shape, it had a small red dot on the one edge that bled. Over 6 months it then formed a scaly skin covering. The gp suspected skin cancer and sent a referral to dermatology. Yesterday I went for a biopsy the nurse removed the scaly skin of which was quite uncomfortable before she did the biopsy. She didn’t,seem to think it was skin cancer and pointed more to it possibly being psoriasis. Should the scaly part of the skin be part of the biopsy? 

  • Hi Djdd and thank you for your post.

    Unfortunately, as nurses who are not involved in your care, we cannot provide a medical opinion or say how the nurse should have performed the biopsy.

    There maybe many reasons why the nurse did not take the scaly skin.

    The majority of scaly skin is regarded as dead skin cells that the body is in the process of shedding. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis from these dead cells can be quite challenging.

    If you have any concerns, you should discuss them with your GP or the dermatology department where you had the biopsy taken.

    Hopefully they can alleviate your concerns.

    Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5 pm Monday to Friday.

    Kind regards

    Tina

  • Hi Tina  thank you for your reply and for the information you have provided me. I am probably worrying too much about it and fearing the worst. Think I will probably wait for the 6 - 8 weeks for the results and try and be positive about it.