A biopsy is a sample of tissue taken for the purposes of histological study. The specimen is fixed in formalin then embedded in paraffin so that it may be sliced into thin sections.
Pathologists are most helpful in confirming or ruling out the possibility of cancer.
In our clinic there is an extra charge for the pathologist's written opinion. Each has a place in helping to diagnose and manage skin disease. In the latter case, if cancer is diagnosed, then, a second, more extensive procedure like excision, outlined below, must be done. The technique of punch biopsy is rather simple. A sharp cylindrical tube is held perpendicular to the anesthetized, stretched skin then rotated, cutting out a plug similar to a cookie cutter.