Skin Cancer Specialist
-
- Tweet
Specialists In Dermatology
located in The Woodlands, TX & Houston, TX
Skin cancer strikes over one million Americans annually. Fortunately, there’s a very high cure rate for skin cancer, especially when it’s caught early and treated correctly. The physicians at Specialists in Dermatology, with locations in Houston and The Woodlands, Texas, offer comprehensive skin exams to check for precancerous and cancerous lesions. They’re also well-known for their expertise in choosing the most successful treatment options available. This includes the impressively effective Mohs surgery. Call for an appointment today or use their online scheduling service, if you’re concerned about cancer or any other skin care issue.
Skin Cancer Q&A
What are the different types of skin cancer?
The three most common types of skin cancer include:
- Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
- Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
- Melanoma
The most common and most treatable form of skin cancer is BCC. Unfortunately, more dangerous types of skin cancer are also increasing dramatically in the United States, including SCC and melanoma. You should take all forms of skin cancer seriously. Routine skin examinations are extremely valuable in helping identify skin cancer early -- and early treatment is nearly always curative, even with the more aggressive types.
What is the treatment for skin cancer?
Surgery is all that’s needed for most skin cancers. The experts at Specialists in Dermatology are skilled in all methods of skin and reconstructive surgery, but they find that Mohs micrographic surgery consistently offers the highest cure rate available. Named after its founder, Dr. Frederic Mohs, this highly specialized surgical method is designed to remove all cancerous tissue while preserving as much healthy skin as possible.
What happens during Mohs surgery?
With other forms of surgical excision, the surgeon removes the cancerous skin tumor or lesion and also tries to cut a wide enough margin around and under the site to ensure no cancer tissue remains behind to regrow.
With the Mohs technique, your surgeon removes the cancerous tissue one layer at a time and examines each layer carefully under the microscope. He continues with this process until he identifies only healthy, cancer-free tissue at the tumor site and in the margins. This helps ensure the highest cure rate possible.
What are the benefits of Mohs surgery?
Other forms of surgery require a biopsy on the excised tissue to ensure the margins are cancer-free. It can take days to get your biopsy results. If cancer is spotted in the margins, you must return for another surgery.
With Mohs surgery, you don’t leave the surgical suite until your surgeon, who is also a trained pathologist, sees clear margins. This means you only need one surgery and are spared days of waiting to find out the biopsy results.
Another benefit of Mohs is the decreased healing time afterward since it leaves behind the smallest surgical wound possible and often the smallest scar possible.
The highest praise for Mohs micrographic surgery concerns its impressive cure rate -- the highest for any treatment available for both primary and recurrent skin cancers, up to 99% for many types.
Electronic Brachytheraphy
We also offer a non-surgical option for skin cancers (basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma) called Electronic Brachytheraphy. It is a miniature x-ray source that precisely delivers high doses of radiation over a series of treatments. Ask your doctor if you are a candidate for this treatment.
