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The Right Treatment for You

The Right Treatment for You

One in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer which can affect anyone, regardless of skin color.

There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma (the two carcinomas are known as non-melanoma skin cancers), and melanoma.

When caught early and treated properly, skin cancer is highly curable. Even, the survival rate for melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) is 99% when detected early but drops all the way to 15% in its more advanced stages.

A number of treatments are available, including topical chemotherapy, freezing (cryotherapy), scraping and burning, photodynamic therapy (PDT), excisional surgery, advanced Mohs micrographic surgery and more.

Your treatment will be customized specifically to your skin cancer and your unique medical condition.

Topical Chemotherapy

Topical chemotherapy uses creams or gels applied directly to affected areas of the skin to treat superficial non-melanoma skin cancers with minimal risk of scarring. 

Freezing (Cryotherapy)

Cryotherapy uses extreme cold (liquid nitrogen) to freeze and destroy tissue. It’s often used to treat superficial skin cancer (skin cancer that’s on the surface of your skin.)

Scraping and Burning

Scraping and burning (curretage and electrodessication) is a skin cancer treatment used for certain non-melanoma skin cancers.

Excisional Surgery

Using a scalpel, your dermatology professional removes the entire tumor along with a “margin of safety” of surrounding tissue and sends it to an off-site lab for analysis. The size of this margin depends on the thickness and location of the tumor. For small, non-melanoma skin cancers, excisional surgery may be all the treatment required. If the lab report shows cancer cells remain beyond the margin of safety, a follow-up procedure may be required.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Mohs micrographic surgery is a highly effective treatment for certain skin cancers and is often used in highly visible or sensitive areas including the face, scalp, neck or genital region.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

PDT uses a combination of special drugs and light to destroy certain types of non-melanoma skin cancer including basal cell carcinoma. Doctors expose drugs called “photosensitizing agents” to high-intensity to kill these tumors. PDT may also break up the blood vessels that nourish cancer cells and “wake up” your immune system to help to fight the cancer. It is sometimes used as an alternative to surgery or radiation for several kinds of cancer and may also be combined with other treatments. 

The Right Treatment for You

Stopping Skin Cancer Before it Starts

Some treatments, including cryotherapy and PDT can also prevent some precancerous lesions (actinic keratoses) from developing into skin cancer.

The Importance of Early Detection

The earlier skin cancer is found, the better the outcome. To schedule your Annual Total-Body Skin Cancer Examsmclick here

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