Increasingly common, skin cancer diagnoses average nearly 10,000 people in the United States every day. Another way to put this is that one in five individuals will develop some form of skin cancer by the age of 70. Treatment varies depending on the severity of the diagnosis, which is determined by the type of cancer and how far it may have spread to other areas of the body.
Fortunately, skin cancer treatment is effective, designed to remove diseased tissue to stop the disease from spreading while minimizing scarring as much as possible.
Surgical Treatment of Skin Cancer
As with any medical or aesthetic surgical procedure, you will begin your skin cancer treatment by consulting with Dr. Sterling on the best course of action for your unique situation. While there are several techniques to remove cancerous growths and lesions, the general formula involves the following steps: anesthesia, removal, reconstruction (if necessary), and recovery.
Anesthesia
Depending on the plan determined by Dr. Sterling, you will be administered either local or general anesthesia, intravenous sedation or even some combination of these options.
Removal
If the affected area is contained, typical of a small lesion, Dr. Sterling will remove it by a surgical process called excision.
Reconstruction
For significantly affected areas or large lesions, removal might require reconstruction with a local flap, a process referred to as “adjacent tissue rearrangement,” in which healthy tissue next to the wound is repositioned over it.
Recovery
Again, depending on the severity of the skin cancer, recovery times range from weeks to months. In some cases, total recovery and fading of incision lines can take up to a year.
If you’ve been diagnosed with skin cancer and need to schedule skin cancer treatment, contact our office to book a consultation with Dr. Sterling. He will take the time to discuss your options with you and determine the best course of action to support your health and healing .
