Electrosurgery

Electrosurgery is the application of a high-frequency electrical current to human tissue as a means to remove lesions, reduce bleeding, or cut tissue. Electrosurgery can be used to cut, coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue. Its benefits include the ability to make more precise cuts, while reducing blood loss.

In electrosurgical procedures, the tissue is burned by an electrical current. Electrosurgery is different from electrocautery, in that the latter uses heat conduction from a hot probe, whereas electrosurgery directly heats the tissue itself, while the probe tip remains cold.

Electrosurgery is commonly used for such dermatological procedures as removal of skin tags, removal/destruction of benign skin tumours, and the removal of warts and coagulation.