Typically a consultation with the specialist involves referral from a general practitioner with a suspicious lesion, for a skin check or a problem to be solved after simple biopsy of a skin lesion. The consultation with the specialist surgeon takes typically 10-30mins varying according to the complexity of the problem and individual patient history. It involves a comprehensive medical and surgical history as well as an examination usually in underwear to assess the extent of the problem.

An excision of the lesion can sometimes be offered at the time of the consultation but in most circumstances an appointment is made at a later time because most patients want to think about the discussion. Sometimes medications such as aspirin, aspirin-like anti-platelet drugs or warfarin may have to ceased or modified to undertake the procedure safely. The clinical consultation, of course, also involves a full discussion about the procedure and its risks and potential issues.

Most procedures are simple, safe and can be done under local anaesthetic with little or no discomfort except for the initial injection of the local anaesthetic. Relatively complex surgery of the face including the nose, ears and lips can also be achieved without the need for hospitalisation and without undue difficulty and post-operative discomfort.