Basal Skin Cancer - My Recent Experience - Mohs Surgery Procedure

After 20 years of being cancer free from squamous cell carcinoma, suddenly basal skin cancer appeared near my ear. I'm glad to have already known some signs of basal cell carcinoma and some basics of Mohs skin cancer surgery, as that was the treatment recommended by my dermatologist.

Just knowing these simple warning signs, beforehand, and how it can be treated really pays off.

It was last May that I went to a free skin cancer screening. These free screenings are quick and not intended to be thorough. I pointed out to the dermatologist a few spots I was concerned about. She recorded them as actinic keratosis which is `sun damage`. On my request she did a quick full body exam and didn't see anything suspicious. She told me to make an appointment with a dermatologist to have the sun damage taken care of and for a more complete examination.

I didn't make an appointment immediately and a very short time later I saw the signs of basal cell carcinoma appear just under my ear at my jaw bone. They appeared very innocent and there was no flashing warning signs on them.

It did pay off to be suspicious of what I was looking at. I saw two little raised spots like a bump or growth that was flesh colored and kind of pearly looking. It felt kind of crusty and would bleed very easy then heal slowly. It was totally painless.

I continued watching them carefully and didn't make the appointment because I have had unusual things appear on my skin before and then disappear in time.

As I continued to watch these spots I finally was convinced that YES this does REALLY appear to be the signs of basal skin cancer. I made the appointment!

At the appointment, they sprayed the sun damage with liquid nitrogen and after several days it was gone. A biopsy was done on this new spot of concern. About 4 days later the results came back positive. It was definitely basal skin cancer.

I was scheduled for a Mohs surgery procedure. Since I already knew the basics of Mohs surgery, I was happy with the doctor's decision.

It is performed by a surgeon who is extensively trained in pathology. A Mohs surgeon examines the cancerous tissue as it is removed through a microscope. He continues to scrape away the cancerous tissue little by little until it is 100% gone. Only the cancerous tissue is removed leaving the healthy tissue.

It minimizes chances of re-growth with a better cosmetic appearance.

I was surprised to see when he finished that he had to remove an area that was 3 inches long by my measurement (17 stitches). It was more than what appeared visually to my eye and the examining doctor. The doctor said it was probably caused by my past radiation treatments, in 1990.

I hope anyone who reads this and has anything suspicious at all happening on their skin will grasp the urgency to have it examined by a dermatologist right away. Don't put if off. Although basal skin cancer grows slow, if left undetected in rare cases it can travel to other parts of the body.

If anything more significant with me occurs I'll post it in a future article.

Gary Harmon is a 20 year survivor of stage III squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer. So, much of what he says comes from his own experiences. If you want to learn more about skin cancer visit http://www.skin-cancer-experiences.com/skin-cancer-warning-signs.html or just go to http://www.skin-cancer-experiences.com/

Original article

Basal Cell Cancer: Surgery Is Your Best Option

Under the umbrella of skin cancer, the most common type is basal cell cancer. Surgery can get rid of this problem but it is malignant in nature. This is mainly because it causes disfigurement. People who are light skinned are at a greater risk of being diagnosed with this kind of cancer in areas of the body that are regularly exposed to sun rays. Basal cell cancer surgery needs to be carried out if the condition has reached a stage where medication cannot help the patient.

While basal cell cancer is the least dangerous compared to its other relatives, it still causes certain amount of damage to the area where it forms and the surrounding tissue. Its malignant nature allows it to physically manifest itself in the form of a nodule not very different from what an acne scar looks like. However, this small nodule could bleed, crust, heal, and reopen again on a regular basis. This is when people realize that this is much more than just a scar.

Time is of the essence in such cases and you need to make sure that you visit a general physician or a dermatologist as soon as you notice a small ulcer forming on your skin. The doctor might ask you to go in for a biopsy in order to learn more about the ulcer on your skin. If detected in the initial stages, basal cell cancer can be eradicated with least amount of damage done to your skin. However, the longer you wait the more chances of it destroying tissue around the affected area.

The head and neck are the most common regions where basal cell cancer usually strikes. However, sometimes the torso area might also be affected. Surgery will either get rid of the cancerous cells entirely or radiation may also be used to stop it from burrowing through the skin and tissue. Mohs chemosurgery is used in order to get rid of this disease from its root and in a controlled manner.

According to skin specialists, basal cell cancer surgery is the only option when the lesion has begun to cause a lot of damage to the area where it has formed. This is also known as rodent ulcers as it burrows through skin, bone, and muscle if not treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Visit a doctor as soon as possible if you notice a weird looking blister on your skin.

Basal cell cancer surgery is the only option when the lesion has begun to cause a lot of damage to the area where it has formed. Visit Skin Cancer Los Angeles for more information.

Original article

Mohs Surgery For Skin Cancer Treatment

Mohs surgery is the most effective and state-of-the art procedure for treating skin cancer. The surgery offers great potential for recovery. Even your skin cancer has been treated previously and recurred, and then also the surgery can be very effective in treating the condition.

Make sure the surgery can be performed by professional surgeons. Using the mohs surgery, the surgeons are able to see beyond the visible disease in order to accurately recognize and remove the whole tumor layer by layer whereas leaving the surrounding healthy tissue unaffected and unharmed. This is the most accurate and precise treatment for tumor removal and it lessens the chances of re occurrence of the disease as well as decreases the potential for scarring or disfigurement.

How effective is the surgery?

Mohs surgery is an effective and accurate means to treat squamous cell and basal cell skin cancers. As the surgery features a systematic microscopic search that identifies skin cancers down to its roots, so there is greater chance for the removal of tumor while sparing normal tissue surrounding it.

Mohs surgery is needed when:

• Cancer is very large

• Cancer was treated previously and occurred again

• Edges of the cancer are not defined clearly

• The growth of the cancer is rapid and uncontrollable

• Existence of scar tissues where cancer is present

• Cancer exists in the area where it is essential to protect healthy tissue for maximum functional and cosmetic result like nose, fingers, genitals, eyelids, toes, ears, lips.

Are there any risks associated with mohs surgery?

Similar to any other surgical method, mohs surgery has also its own risks, such as:

• Infection

• Bleeding

• Pain or tenderness around the surgical area

After completion of the surgery, your surgeon may recommend pain relieving medicines to help manage any postoperative pain. Usually most people experience infection after the surgery but it can be treated with oral antibiotics.

Few other complications of the surgery that occur rarely include:

• Shooting pain and severe itching around the treated area

• Temporary or permanent weakness of the surgical area

• Temporary or permanent numbness around the surgical area

Mohs Micrographic Surgery remains the most effective method of removing non-melanotic skin cancer available anywhere in the world today. Usually mohs surgery is an outpatient procedure conducted in a physician's office. The duration of the surgery depends on the extent of the tumor and the amount of reconstruction needed.

After undergoing the surgery, it is essential to visit the doctor to monitor your progress and to check for any cancer tumors recurring. Most often two of five people with skin cancer have the possibility to develop another within five years. Follow up visits are really important for early recognition of any new cancer lesions.

Mohs surgery Fullerton offers you best services for treating skin cancer. To know more about other services of cosmetic surgery Orange County, you can visit our site.

Original article

Skin Cancer and Alternative to Mohs Surgery

It is estimated that over 1 million new cases occur annually. It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once. The two most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. They account for approximately 96% of all diagnosed skin cancers. Together, these two are also referred to as nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer and accounts for more than 90% of all skin cancer in the U.S. These cancers almost never spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. They can, however, cause damage by growing and invading surrounding tissue. Squamous cell carcinoma is cancer that begins in the squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales under the microscope. Squamous cells are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of the hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Thus, squamous cell carcinomas can actually arise in any of these tissues. Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin occurs roughly one-quarter as often as basal cell carcinoma.

A surgical method that is often used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer is called Mohs surgery. This highly specialized surgical technique involves first removing the visible tumor and then successive layers of skin one at a time until microscopic examination no longer reveals cancer cells. This surgery is performed while the patient is under local anesthesia. Removing and examining each layer takes about one hour, with much of this time spent looking at the removed skin. When done, the surgical wound is treated as needed. The treatment can include closing the wound with stitches, covering the surgical site with skin from another area of the body (skin graft), and moving healthy skin from a nearby area to cover the surgical wound (skin flap).

But, Mohs surgery is not the only way to successfully treat skin cancers? Surgery on the nose, ears, eyelids or lips may cause disfigurement or require reconstructive surgery under a general anesthetic to maintain the natural appearance. Brachytherapy with the Flexitron system is an effective alternative treatment for BCC (Basel Cell Carcinoma) and SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma) skin cancer and avoids the need for reconstructive surgery. It also has its advantages over surgery for patients with a large number of lesions, elderly patients, or patients who are otherwise inoperable, and advantages over external beam radiotherapy as it requires shorter treatment times and less side effects.

Leonard A. Farber M.D. is the founder of The Farber Center for Radiation Oncology

To find out more please got to http://www.thefarbercenter.com/cancers/skin.php or call us at 212 300-0663.

Original article

Know About Mohs Surgery And Its Recovery

As we all know that Mohs surgery is an effective procedure for treating several types of skin cancers. Also the procedure is effective to limit the amount of healthy tissue and skin removed that is particularly helpful to people who should remove the cancer in a cosmetic way on the important parts of body like face or neck. This procedure offers highest rate of cure for people having squamous cell carcinoma. The surgery is also recommended for several skin cancers that need highest cure rate while leaving as much healthy tissue as possible. When compared with several standard techniques, it is less common to reoccur the cancer.

Mohs surgery is an outpatient procedure that can be performed in a doctor's office or clinic. A layer of the skin is removed to test it for the existence of skin cancer. If the cancer is no longer exists, reconstructive procedure is performed in order to repair the tissues. Still if the cancer exists, another layer of the skin is removed and method is repeated till the cancer is totally removed.

Mohs surgery is most commonly recommended for skin cancers that:

• Are reoccurring, Surgery is more effective to achieve cancer-free margins for cancers that have irregular borders and also a history of removal and recurrence.
• Are existing in visible parts like face, neck, hands, etc.
• Are developing quickly
• Have higher threat of developing to other areas of the body
• Occur in children

There are some mild risks involved in the surgery, such as:

• Bleeding
• Scarring
• Infection of the wound
• Pain or discomfort

Recover after Mohs surgey:

These are the most common side effects that most people experience after the surgery, but they will subside within few days. After undergoing Mohs surgery, the recovery process is usually easy and uneventful. Generally recovery may take 2-4 weeks based on the extent of the surgery. Local anesthetic is given during the procedure, so recovery may not be as lengthy or complex as some other procedures. Most commonly recovery period depends on the extent of your surgery.

Stitches will be removed about two weeks after the surgery. Surgeon recommends taking as much rest as possible particularly during the initial days. If you experience any pain, the doctor may suggest an over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol.

Avoid any kind of strenuous activity like exercises or heavy lifting for few weeks after the surgery. Also avoid exposure to sun as much as possible. Ask your surgeon about the adequate protection from sun.

Mohs Surgery La Habra offers you best treatment services for treating your skin cancer. To know more about Mohs micrographic surgery La Habra, you can visit our site.

Original article