Dermatological Skin Surgery

Indications: As a dermatologist, I find there are three reasons for performing skin surgery:

1. To improve the skin's appearance by removing growths, discoloration or damaged skin caused by aging, sunlight, or disease.
2. To prevent or provide early control of skin disease.
3. To establish a definitive diagnosis.

Skin Cancer: There are three main types of skin cancer:

1. Basal Cell Carcinoma usually appears as a small shiny, flat nodule on the face, head, neck or hands. It is considered a cosmetic cancer as it does not get into the blood stream. If left for many years, it is capable of creating an aggressive invasion into the skin, and deeper structures.
2. Squamous Cell Carcinoma is less common than basal cell carcinoma. It usually appears as a nodule or red scaling patch on the rim of the ear, central face or the lower lip.
3. Malignant Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer. It usually appears as a dark brown or black growth with irregular borders and irregular pigmentation. The most frequent sites are the upper back or lower legs. Prolonged exposure to sunlight is the primary cause of most skin cancers. The damage caused by the sun accumulates over many years.

The therapy for removing basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas varies with individual patients, the location of the lesions, the state of the lesion and the age of the patient. In many cases laser treatment is an excellent option. We use a computerized UltraPulsed CO2 laser.