How To Treat Cancer Of the Skin

Introduction

The National Cancer Institute says that cancer of skin usually occurs on those parts of your body that are continuously exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. There are numerous types of cancer of skin. As such, its treatment will vary depending upon what type of cancer of skin you have, how deep into your skin it is, where it is located and how severe it is. Nevertheless, whenever you notice any suspicious area on your skin you should talk to your doctor and never, ever try to treat it by yourself since it is dangerous to do so. Early detection will greatly increase your chances of successful treatment. Skin cancer is typically treated in one of the following ways.

Step 1

A doctor may suggest the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze off cancer of skin. This is known as cryosurgery. It is typically used to treat actinic keratoses lesions, which will turn cancerous over time. However, it can only be used on a small area of skin. Once the tissue thaws you will need to observe the skin and note whenever it falls off.

Step 2

Laser therapy is used for certain types of cancer of skin. Herein a focused beam of light is used to eradicate cancerous cells. This does little, if any, damage to the nearby skin. It also keeps bleeding, scarring and inflammation to a minimum.

Step 3

Excissional surgery is another way in which cancer of skin is treated. Whenever you undergo this type of surgery the surgeon will also remove a small amount of the healthy skin that is surrounding the area. This is done in order to ensure that all of the cancer is removed at once. Doctors will use excissional surgery in order to treat numerous types of cancer of skin.

Step 4

Moh’s surgery is another option. However, you will need to find a specialist who actually specializes in this procedure. This technique involves surgically removing one layer of cancerous growth at a time so that each layer can be closely examined under a microscope. Once there is no more cancer being detected the doctor will rule that the surgery is complete. This technique was designed in order to get rid of cancer of skin while only doing a limited amount of damage to the skin that is located around the area and is not cancerous. You should leave this procedure only in the hands of those who are truly experienced doing this type of surgery.

Step 5

Curettage and electrodesiccation are two other types of treatment that are worth discussing with your doctor. This should only be considered if scarring doesn’t bother you though. In this procedure a curette (a thin instrument that has a sharp edge that is used for scraping) is used to scrape away the skin cancer cells. After this is done the doctor will then use an electric needle to kill any cancerous cells that are still there. The one major drawback to treating cancer of skin in this manner is that it will usually result in there being some scarring.

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