Duration | Skin biopsy

Duration

The duration of a skin biopsy can vary greatly. It is also a question of defining how long a skin biopsy takes. As a rule, however, this only refers to the actual duration from the beginning of the procedure on the patient until the removal and subsequent dressing of the wound.

If no complications occur during this time, the entire process is over within a few minutes. In some cases it can take up to ten minutes. However, with preliminary examination, discussion, explanation, preparation of the doctor and sending in the samples, several weeks may pass from the first visit to the doctor until a final statement can be formulated about the findings of the skin biopsy.

Costs

The cost of a skin biopsy may vary depending on the context. The type of biopsy does not change the cost. If the skin biopsy is performed together with another procedure or as part of another disease, it will be charged differently than if it is performed alone.

There are usually no separate costs for the patient. In addition, if complications occur, further measures performed as part of the skin biopsy can be invoiced separately. As a rule, an amount of a few euros is charged for a skin biopsy. For the laboratory there is a charge of about 10€.

What are the alternatives?

There are several other examination methods in dermatology. However, none of these is an alternative to skin biopsy, as only it allows histological or cytological analysis of the skin and its cells. With the other examination methods it is only possible to subjectively evaluate the cells with a much lower resolution.

However, the advantage of these methods is their lower invasiveness.This means that the patient does not need to be injured in order to obtain a more comprehensive diagnosis. Some of these alternatives are ultrasound examination, a magnifying glass for magnification and follow-up to assess any changes. The assessment of the odour can also be an important aid in dermatology.