A biopsy is a sample of tissue taken from the body in order to examine it more closely. Your doctor should recommend a biopsy when initial tests suggests an area of tissue in the body that appears abnormal.
Doctors may call an area of abnormal tissue a lesion, a tumor, or a mass.
Excessive sweating can be inconvenient and even embarrassing at times, but it can also be a sign of something more serious. It’s important to consult a board certified dermatologist to be certain that the excessive sweating you are experiencing isn’t a symptom of a medical condition. Our team of doctors, physician assistants and surgeons are on hand to address all our patients needs! Once you get confirmation that there is no underlying medical condition that needs to be addressed first, the dermatologists at our Kentucky clinics can provide treatment options to address your problem.
Hyperhidrosis exists in two forms: primary focal and secondary generalized. Primary focal is a genetic condition affecting 2.8% of the U.S. population whereas secondary is causal and its symptoms can be treated.
A mole (also known as nevus, singular, or nevi, plural) is a raised section of discolored skin that is usually harmless and may contain a hair or hairs.
A mole is one of the most common skin conditions and can occur anywhere on the body. Moles are made of a cluster of melanocytes, the cells that cause pigmentation of the skin, hence the darker color. Most moles appear during adolescence; however, some may not be noticed until later in life when events such as hormonal changes may cause the pigment to darken and the mole to become more visible.
There is no medical necessity for skin mole removal. In the cases in which a mole causes irritation due to clothing or has cosmetic significance (for example, a prominent mole that appears on the face, neck or other visible area), your dermatologist may recommend one of the following outpatient treatment options:
Local surgical excision
Your dermatologist will cut out the mole and, depending on the size, close the resulting wound with stitches.
Surgical shave
Your doctor will use a sharp blade to remove the mole at the surface.
Browse all the treatments and dermatology services we offer.
Excimer lasers, which deliver ultraviolet light to localized areas of the skin. This treatment uses intense, focused doses of laser light to help control areas of mild to moderate psoriasis without harming healthy skin around them.
Targeted laser therapy is similar in effectiveness to traditional light therapy, but it works in fewer sessions with stronger doses of light that can reach deeper into the affected skin. The handheld laser wands are also good for reaching psoriasis in hard-to-treat areas, such as the elbows, knees, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and scalp.
Common warts are small, rough bumps that can grow anywhere on the skin. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus and are contagious. Warts are usually not painful, but visible warts are unsightly and embarrassing to most people.
There are five types of warts:
Skin tags are very common soft harmless lesions that appear to hang off the skin. They are also described as:
Skin tags develop in both men and women as they grow older. They are skin coloured or darker and range in size from 1mm to 5cm. They are most often found in the skin folds (neck, armpits, groin).
They tend to be more numerous in obese persons and in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Ingrown nails occur when a nail grows into rather than over the surrounding flesh. Ingrown nails occur most often in the big toe. Ingrown nails are a common condition that can become extremely painful and could become infected unless proper treatment is sought.
The overwhelming majority of ingrown nail cases are due to improper footwear, specifically, cramped shoes with insufficient room in the toes for proper nail growth. Though not as common a cause, ingrown nails are sometimes the result of poor nail cutting skills. Ingrown nails may also be the result of trauma to the toe which injures the flesh and causes irregular nail growth. And though it is rare, ingrown nails may also be the result of a bacterial infection.
Mohs surgery is the most precise and accurate technique for the removal of non-melanoma skin cancer. A saucer-shaped piece of tissue is removed and processed immediately on location for microscopic evaluation. Additional layers of tissue are removed as needed if any tumor remains after the initial stage. Once the cancer is removed, the defect in the skin is repaired. Mohs surgery affords a 99% cure rate while sparing the maximum amount of healthy tissue. It is not indicated for all skin cancers, but is used for recurrent or large lesions, as well as lesions in cosmetically or functionally important locations such as the nose, ears and lips.