Are you concerned that you may be at risk for skin cancer? With convenient locations in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, and Muskogee, Oklahoma, our providers can help you assess your risk and provide treatments if you are found to have skin cancer after a biopsy.
Skin Cancer Risk Factors
Anyone who spends time in the sun cancer can develop skin cancer, particularly people who've had bad or frequent sunburns. Risk factors include:
- A family history of skin cancer
- Using tanning beds or lamps
- Spending a lot of time working or playing outside
- Living in a sunny place
- Spending time working or living at high elevations
- Light skin that freckles or burns easily
- Blue or green eyes
- A weakened immune system
- Having many moles or precancerous growths called actinic keratoses
How Your Skin Cancer Doctor/Dermatologic Surgeon Can Help You
During a visit to the Muskogee or Tulsa, OK, dermatology office, your doctor can:
- Perform a Skin Cancer Screening: Yearly skin cancer screenings help your doctor note changes in your skin that could be signs of skin cancer, such as a sore that doesn't heal, a mole that looks different, or a pimple-like bump that never gets better. When you schedule these screenings every year, it's much easier to notice changes in your moles and your skin.
- Offer Helpful Recommendations: Your doctor can also provide a few suggestions that will help you reduce your skin cancer risk, including wearing protective clothing and hats and using a sunscreen every day. It's also important to conduct your own skin cancer screening every month. If you notice any changes in your skin, call your skin cancer doctor right away.
- Diagnose and Treat Skin Cancer: If your doctor does see a suspicious spot, he or she will remove all or part of it and send it to a laboratory for testing. The skin growth could be benign (non-cancerous), pre-cancerous or cancerous. If the spot is cancerous, your skin cancer doctor can recommend treatments that may include freezing, applying topical medications, removing the cancerous cells with a scalpel, or using Mohs surgery, a skin-preserving surgery that minimizes scars. Some cases of confirmed skin cancer may require referral for radiation or referral to another specialist such as an oncologist.
Do you need to see a skin cancer surgery doctor or dermatology specialist? Schedule an appointment with Southside Dermatology and Skin Cancer Surgery Center. Call (918) 760-0700 for the Tulsa office or (918) 840-5276 for the Muskogee office.