According to the National Cancer Institute, skin cancer most often occurs on those parts of the body that are constantly exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Types of skin cancer range from the most deadly (melanoma) to basal and squamous cell carcinoma, which form in the layers of the skin and on its surface, respectively. Treatments for skin cancer vary depending on severity, with such factors as type, depth in the skin, and location playing roles.
Instructions
1. A physician may suggest freezing off the cancer with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery) in the case of actinic keratoses--lesions on the skin that can turn cancerous over time. Small areas of skin cancer that are detected early are candidates for this treatment as well. Once the tissue thaws out, your physician will ask you to observe it and note when it falls off.
2. Physicians employ laser therapy to deal with certain types of skin cancers and growths on the lips that may become cancerous. Using a focused beam of light, she can eradicate the cancer cells while doing little, if any, damage to nearby tissues. This procedure keeps bleeding, scarring and inflammation to a minimum.
3. Excisional surgery is another option to treat skin cancer. The surgeon also will remove a margin around the area of healthy, unaffected skin to be sure that he gets all of the cancer at once. Doctors use this surgery to treat a variety of skin cancers.
4. Find a specialist who excels at Moh's surgery. This is a technique that involves surgically removing one layer at a time from a cancerous growth and examining each under a microscope. When no more cancer is detected, the surgery is complete. The Moh's technique is designed to get rid of cancer while doing limited damage to the surrounding cancer-free skin. It's best left to those surgeons with experience in the procedure.
5. You and your physician may choose treatment by curettage and electrodesiccaton if the potential for scarring doesn't bother you. Using a curette, a thin instrument with a sharp scraping edge, a doctor can scrape away the cancer cells. The doctor then uses an electric needle to kill whatever cancer cells remain. The procedure typically results in some scarring.
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