What is skin cancer?
Skin cancer is a common cancer in which cells in one of the layers of your skin start to multiply uncontrollably. The three main skin cancer are:
Basal cell carcinoma
Most skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas. These cancers develop in the basal cells, which are part of the deepest layer of your epidermis (outer skin).
Squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinomas occur less often than basal cell carcinomas but tend to grow faster. They develop in skin cells called keratinocytes in your epidermis.
Malignant melanoma
Melanomas affect the melanocyte cells that produce melanin, which gives your skin its color. They are the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
What skin cancer treatment might I need?
If the Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates team diagnoses skin cancer, there are several ways to treat the condition.
Topical medications go on your skin and can be gels, creams, or liquid solutions. The primary topical medications used to treat skin cancer are:
- Fluorouracil
- Imiquimod
- Diclofenac
- Ingenol mebutate (an anti-tumor topical cream)
These medications are often used to treat actinic keratosis, an abnormal patch of skin that can develop into cancer. Low-risk basal cell carcinomas often respond well to fluorouracil or imiquimod treatment if they’re thin.
Radiation therapy might be necessary for some forms of skin cancer. The radiation kills the cancer cells and is often used after surgery to ensure no cancer cells remain.
What kind of surgery might skin cancer treatment require?
The kind of surgery your Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates provider uses will depend on what kind of skin cancer you have, how big it is, and where it’s at. Choices include:
Excision
Excision involves numbing your skin with a local anesthetic, then cutting out the skin cancer. Your provider also removes some of the surrounding skin. Excision is the most uncomplicated skin cancer surgery, but it does cause scarring.
Curettage and electrodesiccation
Curettage and electrodesiccation uses a long, slim instrument (curette) that has a sharp looped edge. Your Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates provider draws the curette over the cancer to remove it, then uses an electrode to kill any remaining cancer cells.
Mohs surgery
Mohs surgery is an advanced technique for removing cancerous tissue without taking healthy skin. It’s valuable because Mohs surgery is highly effective in treating skin cancer and causes little or no scarring.
Your specially trained Mohs surgeon removes thin layers of skin and examines each one under a microscope before taking another layer. Microscopic examination of each layer ensures that your surgeon only takes cancerous tissue.
To find out more about the skin cancer treatments available at Aesthetic and Clinical Dermatology Associates, call their office today or request an appointment online.
