Minor Surgery

Minor surgery is any surgical intervention that does not involve general anaesthetic or respiratory assistance, and normally happens at your GP.
 
What is minor surgery?
Minor surgery is any surgical intervention that does not involve general anaesthesia or respiratory assistance during the procedure, including surgery for skin tags and cysts, warts, abscess incision and drainage, mole removal, growth biopsies, verrucas, and joint injections.  Minor surgery is usually carried out in the GP surgery on an out-patient basis. Beforehand, the doctor will consult, confirm diagnosis, plan for the procedure, and gain informed consent.
 
Will minor surgery hurt?
The only part of minor surgery that may hurt is when the local anaesthetic is administered. The duration of a procedure depends on the condition, but usually ranges from 10 minutes to a half hour or more. Your doctor will inform you if more visits are required to treat the condition.
 
Care after minor surgery
After some minor surgery you may feel a little faint or uncomfortable and may need someone to take you home.
Should you have a wound, your doctor will tell you how to keep it clean and free of infection. You may also need to take painkillers to relieve discomfort, or antibiotics to prevent infection.  You will be given a follow-up appointment and you may also need to have stitches removed.

For some procedures it is also normal to send off a tissue sample for histology. Your doctor will follow up with the results.