Minor skin surgery for young patients (aged 12-17)

Safe, specialist care for children and teenagers

We offer minor skin surgery under local anaesthetic for younger patients from the age of 12, carried out by an experienced, NHS-trained plastic surgeon, in a calm, private clinical setting.

We understand that seeking treatment for your child can feel worrying. Our approach is simple — take the time to assess properly, explain clearly, and only proceed when it feels right for both parent and child.

What we treat

We treat young patients, aged 12-17, for:

Moles (including changing or concerning moles)
Skin and scalp cysts
Lipomas
Skin tags
Warts
Other benign growths

If you’re unsure whether something needs treatment, we’re very happy to assess and guide you.

A careful, patient-centred approach

At Glasgow Skin Specialists, we take care to ensure young patients are directly involved in their care choices and decision-making. We focus on:

Taking time to explain everything in a calm, age-appropriate way
Ensuring young patients feel comfortable and in control
Ensuring patients feel ready and prepared for treatment under local anaesthetic
Making the experience as straightforward and stress-free as possible

We will always involve both parent and young person in decisions, and there is never any pressure to proceed with surgical treatments.

What to expect:

1 / Consultation

When you attend for your consultation, you will be seen by a specialist plastic surgeon, who will take a short medical history from you and some photographs of the lesion for your medical records. They will discuss with you your options for treatment, which can often include a small operation under local anaesthetic injections. Following this discussion, if you are happy to proceed, you will be offered a further appointment to return for your surgery.

2 / Surgical Procedure

All surgery at Glasgow Skin Specialists is carried out under local anaesthetic. These are skin-numbing injections, similar to that used at a dentist. They can be a bit sore, and younger patients may prefer to use a skin-numbing cream prior to the injections to lessen the feeling of the needle. Once the skin is numbed, the surgery can be performed. Depending on what surgery is required, you may have some stitches, and these might need to be removed at a later date.

3 / Postoperative Care

Following your surgery, you will be given some aftercare information and offered a follow-up appointment free of charge, to ensure your wounds have healed satisfactorily and to take some post-operative photographs. If a tissue sample was sent for analysis, the results of this will be discussed with you at your follow-up appointment.

Expert skin care from a specialist plastic surgeon

Duncan Lowe is an experienced plastic surgeon and Clinical Director at Glasgow Skin Specialists.

Dr Lowe has significant experience in treating skin lesions in both adults and children. In his NHS practice, he sees and treats almost a thousand skin lesions each year.

Safety and suitability

We treat children aged 12 and over. Treatment is suitable for:

Cooperative young people who feel comfortable with a local anaesthetic procedure
Conditions that can be safely managed in an outpatient clinic setting

If we feel a hospital setting or specialist paediatric service would be more appropriate, we will advise you honestly.

How to book

If you’re aged 12–17, we’ll begin with a short enquiry before booking. Complete the form below and we’ll guide you on the next step.