Skin Biopsy

A skin biopsy is a procedure that removes a small sample of skin for testing. The procedure can help diagnose a skin lesion (an abnormal area of skin). The skin sample is looked at under a microscope to check for skin cancer, a variety of skin conditions, or skin infections. Only certain skin lesions need a biopsy. Your provider may be able to diagnose many types of lesions just by looking at them.

There are three main ways to do a skin biopsy. The type of biopsy you have depends on the location, size, and depth of the skin lesion:

• A shave biopsy removes a sample from the top layers of skin with a razor blade or scalpel (a small cutting blade used for surgery). Your provider will do a shave biopsy if your condition appears to involve only the top layers of skin.
• A punch biopsy uses a special tool with a round blade to remove the skin sample. Your provider will do a punch biopsy if your condition appears to involve the deep layers of skin.
• An excisional biopsy uses a scalpel to remove all of the skin lesion, usually with some normal skin around it. The sample may include the full thickness of the skin along with fat below the