Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Associates provides full body skin cancer screenings and treatments including dermatologic and Mohs micrographic surgery . If you notice changing moles or rapidly growing lesions that can be a sign of skin cancer, contact us as soon as possible. Skin cancer can be treated effectively if it is caught at an early stage. Most pre-cancerous lesions and cancerous tumors are visible and can be readily removed.

Watch for moles or lesions that are:

• Asymmetrical (one half unlike the other)
• Irregularly bordered (not round, jagged)
• Color varied from one area to another
• Large, with a diameter over 6 millimeters as a rule.

Treatments

• Curettage and electrodesiccation involve scraping away malignant tissue with a sharp surgical instrument called a curette.
  
• Surgical excision involves cutting into the skin with a surgical instrument, removing the growth, and then closing the wound with stitches or skin clips.
  
• Cryosurgery involves the use of an apparatus that sprays liquid nitrogen directly onto the skin, freezing the cancerous tissue and killing cancer cells.
  
• Topical chemotherapy involves the application of a chemical, 5-fluorouracil, which destroys pre-cancerous growths and sometimes cancerous tissue.
  
• Mohs Micrographic Surgery -This technique, named after Frederick Mohs, M.D., is chosen for skin cancers which have recurred at the site of a previous skin cancer, or are located in areas where high cure rate and conservation of normal skin is extremely important. While no procedure guarantees 100% cure rate, the Mohs technique has a better cure rate than other methods.