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

Skin cancer — the abnormal growth of skin cells — most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. But this common form of cancer can also occur on areas of your skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight.

There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Excision means "to surgically remove." In medicine, the term indicates the removal of a growth, tissue, organ, or bone using a scalpel, laser, or another cutting tool.

As opposed to taking a sample of tissue or a body part, excision describes the removal of the entire portion of a structure

Melanocytic nevus is the medical term for a mole. Nevi can appear anywhere on the body. They are benign (non-cancerous) and typically do not require treatment. A very small percentage of melanocytic nevi may develop a melanoma within them.

Cryosurgery or cryotherapy involves using extreme cold—usually liquid nitrogen or sometimes carbon dioxide or argon gas—to "freeze off" abnormal cells, such as a tumor. The therapy is commonly used externally for skin growths, such as warts and skin tags, and cancerous cells such as basal and squamous cell carcinoma.

Electrodesiccation and curettage is a removal procedure that has been used for decades. It can be used to remove warts, angiomas, horns or bumps caused by actinic keratosis, as well as mild forms of skin cancer such as basal and squamous cell cancers. Following the simple procedure, patients will have the opportunity to heal over several weeks experiencing only mild discomfort and little scarring.