Biopsy & Histology
A Diagnosis Confirmed, Not Assumed
200,000
Satisfied patients
Trusted by patients across the UK for medical & aesthetic care
CQC rated Good
Inspected April 2026: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led
Save Face Accredited Clinic
Committed to safer aesthetic treatments
27 years
Of Clinical Experience
Established in 1999
Treatment at a glance
Key details you may want to know before booking.
Treatment time
40-60 Minutes
ANAESTHETIC
Local anaesthetic
DOWNTIME
Stitch removal 5-14 Days
RESULTS TIMELINE
Permanent
SUITABLE FOR
Removal of leision and sent to histology
Price
Laboratory fee from £172, procedure fee additional
Biopsy and histology thoroughly analyse cells to determine abnormalities and their causes. A biopsy is a medical procedure that involves taking a small sample of tissue so that it can be examined under a microscope. A sample can be taken from almost anywhere on, or in the body.
Histology aims to diagnose and study diseases in tissue. It is a branch of anatomy that deals with the minute structure of tissues as discernible with the microscope. Your doctor will advise a biopsy and histology if they are concerned with any moles, lumps or possible infections. You may also request a biopsy and histology if you have discovered an area of concern. Bodyvie is an established medical and aesthetic clinic specialising in minor operative procedures and diagnostics. If you have a mole or skin lesion you are concerned with, or our doctors detect some abnormalities when removing moles and cysts, they will recommend histology be carried out. Established in 1999, our clinic in Richmond offers a range of testing including bloods, which are processed by The Doctor’s Laboratory. When the tissue sample is examined under the microscope, abnormal cells can be spotted and identified, which can help diagnose a specific condition. Bodyvie in London also offers urine samples to detect any possible infections. All testing is discreet and timely. Our doctors will thoroughly review your results and discuss them with you to ensure they are understood. They will provide advice on the best course of treatment for you following your biopsy and histology results, or other testing. Histology can offer a sense of relief as well as the opportunity to gain an understanding of your health to make the best decision to remedy any concerns.
Biopsy & Histology can also be used for:
TREATMENT PRICES
| Treatment | Price from |
|---|---|
| Histology (laboratory fee, 1 specimen) | £172* |
*This is the laboratory fee only. The fee for the biopsy procedure itself is additional. Where more than one sample or site is involved the laboratory cost changes, and your full cost is confirmed in writing at your consultation before anything proceeds.
Your surgeon
Skin biopsies at Bodyvie are taken by Dr Vadim Corjos, GMC 7822977, a cosmetic surgeon with fifteen years of surgical practice across general, trauma and reconstructive surgery. He examines the lesion, decides what the laboratory needs to see, takes the sample himself and discusses the result with you. Punch biopsies and shave excisions are also carried out by Dr Andrew Weber, our Medical Director (GMC 2693226). Dr Corjos carries out the more complex surgical excisions. Our reception team will book you with the right doctor for the sample that is needed. Dr Corjos treats at both Bodyvie clinics, Richmond at 133-135 Kew Road and Belgravia at 11A West Halkin Street, and the price is the same at either. A full profile is on the Dr Vadim Corjos page.
Why a biopsy is worth having
Most skin lesions are benign. The difficulty is that benign and serious lesions can look alike, and no amount of examination by eye settles it definitively. A biopsy converts an opinion into a diagnosis. This is also the reason a lesion should be removed by a doctor rather than at a salon. A lesion destroyed by cautery or laser without histology takes its diagnosis with it. If it mattered, you will never know that it did.
The techniques used
- Punch biopsy, taking a small full-thickness cylinder of skin, used where the laboratory needs to see all layers
- Shave biopsy, taking a raised lesion flush with the surface, used for superficial lesions
- Excision biopsy, removing the whole lesion with a margin, used where removal is appropriate anyway and gives the laboratory the most information
Which one is used is a clinical decision, explained to you before you consent to it.
What happens on the day
- Examination of the lesion and a short medical history, including any blood-thinning medication
- The area is cleaned and numbed with a few tiny injections of local anaesthetic. The injections sting briefly, like a small scratch, and that is the part most patients feel. After that you should not feel the procedure itself
- The sample is taken and the site closed or dressed, typically 40 to 60 minutes for the appointment
- The specimen goes to the laboratory. Results usually take one to two weeks and you are contacted with them
What we do not do
Bodyvie is a minor operations service, not a cancer centre. We will:
- Refer you promptly to an appropriate specialist if histology shows anything that needs specialist management. We do not treat skin cancer
- Tell you at consultation if a lesion needs an urgent NHS two-week-wait pathway rather than a private appointment
- Decline to remove a lesion cosmetically where the appearance means it should be biopsied instead
- Not biopsy patients under 18
- One named doctor, Dr Vadim Corjos, GMC 7822977, who takes the sample and gives you the result
- An accredited laboratory, with the technique chosen for what the pathologist needs to see
- No GP referral required, and results explained rather than posted
- Two London clinics, Richmond and Belgravia, at the same price
- A CQC-regulated clinical environment, not a salon setting
- A consultation fee of £50, redeemable in full against treatment
Cost
The laboratory histology fee starts at £172 for a single specimen, and the fee for the biopsy procedure itself is additional. All new doctor consultations are £50 and are redeemable in full against the cost of treatment. Where more than one sample or site is involved, the laboratory cost is confirmed in writing at consultation before anything proceeds. The price is identical at Richmond and Belgravia.
Related reading
what our clients say
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The area is numbed with a few tiny injections of local anaesthetic. A small sample of the lesion, or the whole lesion, is taken using a punch, shave or excision technique depending on what the laboratory needs to see. The site is closed or dressed and the sample is sent for laboratory histology.
Laboratory turnaround is typically around one to two weeks. You are contacted with the result and, where anything needs acting on, you are told what the next step is rather than left to work it out.
Small punch and shave sites heal within one to two weeks. Where sutures are used they are removed at 5 to 14 days depending on the site. Expect a small mark that fades over several months.
The laboratory histology fee starts at £172 for a single specimen. The fee for the biopsy procedure itself is additional. New doctor consultations are £50 and are redeemable in full against the cost of treatment. Your full cost is confirmed in writing at consultation before anything proceeds.
No. You can book directly. If you have a GP letter or previous results, bring them, as it helps Dr Corjos decide what needs sampling and how.
It depends on what the question is. Where the lesion is small and removal is appropriate anyway, it is taken whole, which gives the laboratory the most information. Where it is large, a representative sample is taken instead. This is explained before you consent.
You are told clearly and quickly, and referred on to the appropriate specialist. Bodyvie does not treat skin cancer, and a clinic that offers to is not one to use.
Richmond, at 133-135 Kew Road, or Belgravia, at 11A West Halkin Street. Dr Vadim Corjos treats at both and the price is identical.
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