Skin biopsy: Caring for your child after the procedure

PDF download is not available for Arabic and Urdu languages at this time. Please use the browser print function instead

A skin biopsy helps diagnose skin problems. Find out how to help your child's skin heal after a skin biopsy and how to manage any complications.

Key points

Follow all instructions for caring for your child’s skin after a biopsy.
Call your child's doctor or see a local health-care professional if your child’s skin becomes redder or more painful or if there is pus.

Introduction

A skin biopsy involves taking a sample of your child’s skin and sending it for testing in a laboratory.

After the test

How do I care for my child’s skin after their biopsy?

How you care for your child’s skin depends on whether your child needed stitches after their biopsy.

Biopsy with stitches

Biopsy with no stitches

For the first 24 hours, leave the bandage on and keep the area clean and dry.
After the first 24 hours, remove the bandage and rinse the site well. Pat it dry with a clean towel.
Apply petroleum jelly or the antibiotic ointment recommended by your doctor to the area every day.
If your child prefers, cover the area of the biopsy with a new bandage.
Arrange to have your family doctor or another health-care professional remove your child’s stitches ___ days after their biopsy.

For the first 24 hours, leave the bandage on and keep the area clean and dry.
After the first 24 hours, remove the bandage and rinse the site well. Pat it dry with a clean towel.
Your child’s skin will form a scab as it heals. Apply the recommended antibiotic ointment every day until the scab falls off.
If your child prefers, cover the area of the biopsy with a new bandage.

Complications

How do I care for my child’s skin if there are complications?

The risks of a skin biopsy include pain, bleeding, infections, scars and stitches popping open.

Risk	Treatment
Pain	If needed, give your child acetaminophen every four to six hours once or twice after the local anaesthetic wears off. If your child cannot take acetaminophen, ask your doctor for suggestions.
Bleeding	Apply pressure for 15 minutes. Do not peek at the bleeding site while holding pressure.
Infection (rare)	If the area becomes redder or more painful or if there is pus, have it assessed by a local health-care professional. Your child may need oral antibiotics.
Scarring	No treatment is needed. Scarring is normal when the skin heals from a cut.
Stitches popping open	This can happen if the biopsy is done where the skin is tight or if the skin around the biopsy is bumped or stretched. Remove the stitch and clean the skin as instructed.

Follow-up care

When will I find out about my child's biopsy results?

It takes a few weeks to get the results of a biopsy. Your child's health-care team will decide with you when to follow up in the clinic to review the results.

Resources

Last updated: June 13th 2016