Excision of benign pigmented skin tumours by deep shaving

Benign pigmented skin tumours are frequently removed by shave excision. There is little information as to how often the method achieves a complete excision of the lesion and how often the full thickness of the dermis is removed. 43 benign pigmented skin tumours, on the trunk and proximal parts of the limbs, were removed by deep shaving and the shaved areas were then removed by elliptical excision. The shave excision achieved complete tumour removal in 72% of the lesions and did not divide the dermis to fat junction in 63%. Both objectives were achieved in 46%. Shave excision of these lesions may be preferable to elliptical excision in sites where the incidence of hypertrophic scarring is high, as preservation of some thickness of the dermis may result in a more acceptable scar.