Check-up: My daughter has a mole on her arm which has changed colour. Her GP has recommended something called an excision biopsy, but she is so anxious about the procedure that she's threatening to cancel her appointment. Can you reassure her?
Your daughter should take her doctors advice and have this mole removed and examined, which is, in fact, what the medical jargon "excision biopsy" stands for. "Excision" means to remove by cutting away and "biopsy" refers to the removed tissue being sent for laboratory analysis so a diagnosis can be made. Although a skin biopsy is considered a "minor" procedure by the professionals, understandably for an anxious patient waiting to have it done, it can be nerve-racking.
That makes sense, but will she feel any pain?
Not really. Skin biopsies are performed under local anaesthetic and although she will feel the initial needle used to administer it, the actual biopsy itself should not be painful.
To be honest, she is likely to be aware of some pressure and pulling of the skin, but she should not experience actual pain. Stitches are used to close the skin which speeds up healing and reduces the chance of infection. These will be removed between 5 and 14 days after surgery (depending on the site involved).
As she is squeamish about anything gory can you suggest anything to distract her while having the test?
Unless she's lucky enough to have a doctor who looks like an extra from the set of ER she may have to use some other form of distraction! Some people find it useful to use a Walkman/Discman while having medical procedures done - this will not only help her relax but it has the added advantage of muffling any "medical" sounds.
As the test is performed using a sterile technique - which means that the area itself will be covered with sterile drapes - she is unlikely to see much.