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Your healthcare provider sent your biopsy to BDL because they are considered the best dermatopathology laboratory in the area, and the results of your skin biopsy will play a critical role in determining the best treatment for your condition. The doctors at BDL are dermatopathologists, meaning they are experts in interpreting samples from the skin, hair, nails, and mouth. With over 30 years of providing this highly specialized and important service, the team at BDL has earned your health care provider’s trust and confidence.
Learn more about our doctors here
You can view the process your biopsy takes through the laboratory by taking our video tour.
To the highly skilled dermatopathologist, the patterns and cytologic detail seen under the microscope becomes a recognizable pattern, like a fingerprint. The findings may indicate many different things, including:
- Normal tissue growth
- Inflammation, such as dermatitis
- Infection
- Benign tumor
- Malignant tumor
When your doctor, nurse practitioner, or PA gets the results, they will explain to you the meaning of the diagnosis, and then they will decide the appropriate care and treatment.
We understand the anxiety that many patients experience while waiting for their lab results. At BDL, we strive to get your lab results back to your physician as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality or accuracy. Your pathology test results are typically sent to your doctor 24-48 hours after we receive your biopsy. If molecular testing or referral to an academic center is warranted, your health care provider will be notified, and the results may take several more days.
To get a copy of your report, you must sign a release form and return it to us via fax at 301-439-4340. Or you can also email us at clinical@bdlab.com.
Yes. If a patient is concerned or does not totally understand the interpretation from their provider, a further discussion with the dermatopathologist is available. As a courtesy to the provider who sent the biopsy to us, we ask that you contact us after you have spoken with your provider about your biopsy results.
To request a second opinion, you must forward a request in writing via email at clinical@bdlab.com or fax at 301-439-4340 in order to authorize the release of slides. Be sure to include the appropriate facility’s address and physician’s name where slides are to be sent.
The experts at BDL are happy to give a second opinion on your biopsy. To make this request, you can email us at clinical@bdlab.com or call 301-439-4340 in order to get instructions for requesting the slides from the other laboratory.
Yes. There is a separate bill for the technical and professional components of testing performed in our laboratory
The doctors at BDL are focused exclusively on dermatopathology, and they have earned the trust of your doctor or other health care provider in interpreting samples from the skin, hair, nails, and mouth. The interpretation of biopsies is much more complex than the interpretation of other clinical lab tests. Your health care provider is choosing to send your biopsy to the same experts they would choose to interpret their own skin biopsy.