Coquina Dermatology Call

Biopsies and skin surgery in Boca Raton

Most biopsies and small skin surgeries happen in our procedure room, with local numbing, and you go home the same day.

Sterile surgical instruments laid out on a blue drape

Before the procedure

A procedure room with an adjustable treatment table, an overhead light and a covered tray

We explain what we will remove and why, and you sign a consent form.

Tell us if you take a blood thinner, or if you are allergic to numbing medicine, latex or tape. Do not stop a blood thinner unless the doctor who prescribes it tells you to.

The procedure

Microscopes lined up on a lab counter

We numb the skin with a small injection. A biopsy takes a few minutes. Removing a cyst, mole or skin cancer takes longer and may need stitches.

A laboratory examines what we remove, and a provider calls you with the result.

Caring for the site

A roll of white medical tape, gauze pads and a small plain tube on a bathroom counter

You go home with a dressing and written wound care steps. If you have stitches, we tell you when to come back to have them removed.

If the site bleeds through a firm pressure dressing, or turns red, hot and swollen, call the office.

Questions about biopsies and skin surgery

Will it leave a scar?

Any cut through the skin leaves a scar. We place and close it to keep the scar small and flat, and we tell you what to expect before we start.

Does insurance cover a biopsy?

A biopsy or the removal of a suspicious spot is a medical visit, and most plans cover it. Removing a harmless spot only for its look is cosmetic and self-pay.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Imogen Ashdown, MD, FAAD, October 7, 2026