Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer that affects humans and the rates are now confirmed that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer at one point or another. Sun protection is the key, and although you should always keep your sun screen on and avoid being in the sun for long periods at a time, there are times this may be unavoidable. It may be that you work outside or are dealing with damage that occurred long ago, a changing mole or non-healing sore could be an early warning sign that a skin cancer has developed. You should visit your dermatologist annually for skin check and if you do get skin cancer, make sure you see a specialist, like Dr. Adam Mamelak, who specializes in Mohs surgery.
“There are actually a number of ways to treat skin cancer if it develops,” claims Dr. Mamelak, “but only Mohs surgery has proven itself over and over with accuracy and overwhelming benefits.”
Here are 5 reasons to consider Mohs surgery if you discover you have skin cancer:
Spares Healthy Tissue – Some surgical treatments for skin cancer take excessive margins, removing healthy skin along with the skin cancer. With the Mohs technique, the skin cancer is meticulously mapped out on the skin. With this map, the absolute highest precision is employed in removing the skin cancer, focusing on the involved skin and allowing normal healthy skin tissue to remain undamaged. You need your skin, so why remove the good stuff?Highest Cure Rate – This really should be #1. After all, if you’re getting treated for cancer, don’t you want to use everything in your power to ensure the cancer never comes back? Mohs surgery is the most effective treatment for skin cancer. In fact, there are not too many (if any) cancer treatments that have an over 99% cure rate!Outpatient Procedure – Surgery always conjures up images of general anesthesia and long hospital stays. Forget all that. There’s no general anesthesia or overnight stays with Mohs surgery – we get you in and out of the office the same day of the procedure.In the majority of cases, the downtime after the procedure is minimal and you’re bacl to all your normal activities in no time.Treatment of Choice – Mohs surgery is considered the gold standard for treating many skin cancers. If you have an aggressive cancerous spot, a large of rapidly growing skin lesion, or one that’s recurred from a previous treatment, Mohs is considered the best option to get it removed.Minimizes Scarring and Gives Superior Cosmetic Results – With so many skin cancer occurring on the face and cosmetically sensitive areas, esthetic outcome after treatment is often considered as important as the treatment itself. By minimizing the amount of healthy tissue removed, Mohs surgery minimized the extent of tissue, know as the surgical defect, that needs to be repaired and reconstructed. “One of my patients put it best,” says Dr. Mamelak, “‘smaller hole, smaller scar!'”If you have been affected by skin cancer, would like more information, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mamelak, please contact us today.
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