What You Need to Know About Skin Cancer Surgery

For skin cancer cases that haven’t spread, simple surgical procedures can be performed to eliminate the tumor. For more aggressive cases like melanoma, however, more extensive surgical treatments may be required. Here at Southside Dermatology & Skin Cancer Surgery Center in Tulsa, OK, our dermatology specialists, Dr. Alison Fischer and Dr. Robert Fischer, have performed surgery on many patients to treat various kinds of skin cancers. These surgeries include the following.

Mohs Surgery

This surgical technique is developed to get rid of tumors, while keeping as much healthy skin as possible. During the treatment, cancerous cells will be removed in layers until there’s no presence of cancer cells left. It is usually utilized on visible body parts like the hands, neck, and head. Mohs surgery is likewise often used for treating recurrent skin cancer cases.

Curettage with Electrodessication

During the curettage procedure, the cancerous lesion is removed using a curette, which is a thin and long surgical device with a sharp, tiny scoop or hoop at the end used for scraping. Once the lesion has been scraped, electrodessication will be performed. This involves treating the area with an electrode that will deliver an electric current that will further destroy any remaining cancer cells and minimize bleeding.

Excision

This entails the removal or excision of a cancerous growth using a razor or scalpel. Depending on the extent of your skin cancer, your dermatology professional in Tulsa, OK, may perform one of the following excision surgeries:

• Simple Excision: This uses a scalpel for excising a skin growth and a tiny portion of the surrounding skin.
• Shave Excision: This procedure uses a razor-like device for peeling or shaving off cancer growths.
• Wide Excision: This is usually utilized for treating Merkel cell carcinomas and melanomas. It entails the excision of the cancer growth and a wider area of the surrounding skin. The procedure also results in deeper skin removal than shave and simple excisions.

Lymph Node Biopsy

This involves the removal of particular lymph nodes, called the sentinel lymph nodes that collect the fluid draining from the growth. If there’s no indication of cancer in the nodes, no other procedure is will be done. However, if there are melanoma cells in the nodes, all remaining nodes in the area might be removed.

Metastatic Skin Cancer Treatments

Melanoma accounts for approximately 2% of all cases of skin cancers and it is also the most life-threatening as it can travel or metastasize to the lungs, bones, liver, and brain. For treating metastatic skin cancers, surgery will be used alongside other treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy. Sometimes, surgery may likewise be used for alleviating metastatic skin cancer symptoms.

Speak to Us To Find Out Which Skin Cancer Surgery Will Be Most Effective For You

Arrange a consultation with our dermatology specialists here at Southside Dermatology & Skin Cancer Surgery Center in Tulsa, OK, Dr. Alison Fischer or Dr. Robert Fischer, by calling (918) 760-0700.