Electrocautery: what is this process

Electrocautery is a treatment with immediate results, without scarring, frequently used in medical dermatology and very easy for the patient to tolerate. It is a procedure that consists of heating a tissue with electricity. Patients often turn to electrocautery when benign lesions such as papillomas, seborrheic or actinic keratoses, angiomas, zapillomas, warts, vascular tumours, xanthelasma, seborrheic keratoses, fibromas, chondromas, molluscum contagiosum and other benign tumours appear on the skin...

The electrocautery procedure involves the use of a small device, which uses high-frequency electric current to thermally destroy unwanted lesions. It is a minor dermatological procedure whereby small, cutaneous or benign lesions are destroyed. This process takes place through thermal heating, using an electrical circuit created between two electrodes. The instrument with which this procedure is performed is called an electrocautery.

Electrocautery can be used both for haemostatic purposes, by stopping bleeding in small vessels, and for excision of a piece of skin tissue. This procedure is not painful at all, as the area will be anaesthetised beforehand with anaesthetic cream or injectable anaesthetic with xylin. Following the procedure there will be no need for sutures, as the machine performs haemostasis at the same time (in other words, stops bleeding), and the patient can go home with a small patch on the treated area - and nothing more! 

How to care for the area after electrocautery?

Following electrocautery surgery care is fairly easy and involves the use of a disinfectant on the treated area. It is usually recommended to avoid contact with water for the first few days after cauterisation. Furthermore, depending on the size of the lesion, the area heals relatively quickly, from a few days to up to 2 weeks.

What are the advantages of the electrocautery procedure?

A primary advantageof the electrocautery procedure would be that bleeding is not present. Scarring will be minimal or non-existent and recovery is relatively quick, depending on the complexity of the skin lesion.