Skin cancer is uncontrolled skin cell growth that happens in certain skin’s layers or cell types, such as the basal cells, squamous cells, or melanocytes. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. In many cases, it develops because of damage in the skin cells due to ultraviolet (UV) light, which comes from the sun and tanning booths. 

 

While wearing sunscreen every day and avoiding UV light to the best of your ability may reduce your chances of getting skin cancer, you can’t always prevent it. Like other forms of cancer, it can become malignant and spread to other parts of your body if you don’t catch and remove it early. 

 

Martha Viera Dermatology offers skin cancer screenings and examinations. Your provider can tell you which type of skin cancer you have, its prognosis, and your best treatment options. 

Martha Viera Dermatology creates an individualized treatment plan for your skin cancer depending on several factors, including the size of the lesion, the location, and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. 

 

Many skin cancer treatment plans involve a surgery or similar procedure to remove the cancerous lesion. You can freeze it off with cryosurgery, take it off with excisional surgery, or undergo Mohs surgery to remove cancerous cells while keeping the majority of healthy cells around the lesion intact. 

 

In addition to the removal, you may need additional treatments to eliminate any final cancerous cells in your skin or elsewhere. Common options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy, and biological therapy. 

 

For more information on skin cancer and the different types, call Martha Viera Dermatology or book online today.