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(352) 733-0111

Medical Dermatology

Our board certified Dermatologists provide comprehensive screening, diagnostic and therapeutic dermatologic care for common, uncommon and difficult to treat skin diseases.

Our Medical Dermatology clinic at Springhill is currently accepting new and return patients. We are also accepting those patients that are referred from other physicians.

Areas of focus

Frequently asked questions

What is curettage?

Curettage is a procedure in which a cancerous, precancerous, or cosmetically undesirable part of the skin is removed by scraping down to the normal skin beneath it with a sharp instrument. Then, to stop bleeding, the surface of the wound is usually either burned lightly or coated with a chemical.

What is a shave biopsy?

A shave biopsy is the removal of a piece of skin where only a portion of the skin's thickness is removed.

What Should I Expect After a shave biopsy?

There may be some minimal discomfort which should be controllable with Tylenol, if not allergic to it. Most areas will be completely healed in two to four weeks. Biopsies on the back, chest and trunk will take longer to heal than on the face and neck. A loss of skin color may occur, but it is often followed by a return to normal skin color, which may take several months.

What is a punch biopsy?

A punch biopsy is the removal of a piece of skin where the entire skin's thickness is removed.

What should I expect after a punch biopsy?

There may be some minimal discomfort, which should be controllable with Tylenol, if not allergic to it.What to expect with Patch Testing - PDF File hyperlink

What is ALA-PDT?

ALA-PDT is aminolevulinic acid (ALA) with photodynamic therapy (PDT). The ALA solution, marketed as Levulan Kerastick, is applied to the area to be treated, either to the face, scalp, chest and/or arms, and then the area is exposed to fluorescent blue light for approximately 17 minutes. ALA-PDT is an effective treatment for Actinic Keratoses (pre-cancerous lesions) and for diffuse photodamage.

What is cryosurgery?

Cryosurgery is a technique effectively used to destroy certain types of skin tumors. Destruction of the tumor is achieved by applying liquid nitrogen, which lowers the temperature of the tumor and a small margin of surrounding skin below the freezing point.

I have had a skin biopsy... what's next?

If your physician recommends that you need a biopsy, they suspect a possible abnormality with the site on the skin that is to be biopsied. Once a biopsy is taken, there are many people involved in the process to provide you and your physician with an accurate diagnosis of your biopsy. Once your biopsy is performed, it is immediately sent to a histology lab where your biopsy will be processed and slides can be prepared to be reviewed under a microscope. Once the slides are ready, a University of Florida dermatopathologist will review your slide under the microscope. Additional testing may need to be performed to make the most accurate diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the diagnosis will be put in a detailed report that will be sent to your physician/clinician. When your physician/clinician that performed the biopsy receives the report, they will contact you with the results and discuss treatment options if any are needed.

Why a dermatopathologist?

A pathologist is a physician that specializes in the diagnosis of diseases. A dermatopathologist specializes in dermatology and pathology. The diagnosis process involves grossing of the specimen and subsequently a microscopic examination of the specimen that consists of tissue, skin, hair and nails. A dermatopathologist specializes in the diagnosis of diseases of the skin and become experts in skin pathology. This is why it becomes important to request that your physician send your skin biopsy only to a dermatopathologist. Diagnosing a disease of the skin is an involved process and requires a high level of expertise from your dermatopathologist to provide you with the most accurate diagnosis.