Those raised, waxy patches, checked and removed

The pre-op assessment is £75. Removal starts at £250 per lesion. That is a starting price, and the final all-inclusive fee depends on the size, site, number and complexity of the lesions. If you are having several done, they are priced together at your assessment before anything is booked.

Because a skin lesion has to be examined in person before anyone removes it. At the £75 assessment your surgeon looks at each patch you are concerned about, confirms what it is, agrees which ones to treat, and gives you a firm price. If you decide not to go ahead, you simply pay for the consultation and leave with a clear answer.

No. Despite the name, these are not warts in the usual sense. Common warts and verrucas are caused by a virus and can spread. Seborrhoeic keratoses are not, so you cannot pass them to your partner, your children or anyone else, and you did not catch yours from anybody. They are simply a very common part of skin ageing.

They are an overgrowth of ordinary surface skin cells. They tend to run in families and become more common from around the age of 40, which is why people often have several. They are not caused by poor hygiene and they are not a sign that anything is wrong with your health.

This is the question worth taking seriously, and it is the main reason the assessment comes first. Pigmented seborrhoeic keratoses can look very like moles, and occasionally like a lesion that needs proper investigation. Anything changing in size, shape or colour, with an uneven border or more than one colour, bleeding without being knocked, or simply looking different from your others should be assessed rather than removed for cosmetic reasons. If your surgeon has any doubt, we arrange the right investigation first.

By curettage. The area is numbed with local anaesthetic and your surgeon uses a curette, a small scoop-shaped instrument, to lift the lesion away flush with the surrounding skin. The effect is much the same as a shave excision. Because these sit on the surface rather than deep in the tissue, stitches are usually not needed and the site heals more like a graze than a cut. Your surgeon will confirm the plan for your particular lesion at the pre-op.

You will feel a sting as the local anaesthetic goes in, and after that the area is numb. You should feel pressure but no pain. Afterwards the site can feel tender in the way a graze does for a day or two, and paracetamol is usually more than enough.

Usually the result is much flatter and less noticeable than the original lesion, but no removal is completely invisible. The treated skin can stay a little paler or pinker than the area around it for some months, and occasionally longer. If the lesion is on your face, talk this through properly at the pre-op so you know what to expect before you commit.

The one that is removed does not usually return in the same place. However, if you are prone to these you are likely to develop new ones elsewhere over the years, because the tendency to form them does not go away. That is not a failure of the treatment, and new lesions can be dealt with the same way if they bother you.

Often yes, and it is usually the sensible approach, since these rarely appear on their own. Bring every one you want dealt with to the pre-op. Your surgeon will advise what can reasonably be done in one sitting and price the whole lot together, giving you one appointment and one healing period.

Those products are formulated for viral warts and verrucas, which are a different problem entirely, so they are not an appropriate treatment for a seborrhoeic keratosis. Picking, scraping or burning a lesion at home also destroys the very thing a clinician would want to look at, which matters a great deal if the patch turns out not to be what you assumed.

For a lesion that is clearly a seborrhoeic keratosis, histology is often not needed. If there is any clinical doubt, your surgeon may recommend sending the specimen to the lab, which carries an additional laboratory fee. That is discussed and quoted at your consultation, never sprung on you afterwards.

No. You can book the pre-op assessment yourself, online or by calling 029 2199 9300. If you would rather have the patch looked at by a doctor first, a private GP appointment is another way in.

We work with Bupa, AXA Health, WPA, Vitality, Aviva, Cigna, Healix, Saga and Allianz and will help with pre-authorisation paperwork. Be aware that cosmetic removal of a lesion that is known to be harmless is not usually something insurers cover, so most patients pay privately for this one. Contact us with your insurer details and we will advise.

At our Penarth clinic, 13 Washington Buildings, Stanwell Road, CF64 2AD, about 10 minutes from Cardiff city centre with free street parking. We also run clinics from Cowbridge, 10 High Street, CF71 7AG.