Skin cancer develops when the skin cells get damaged from various sources such as the sun or radiation. Skin cancer lesions typically first appear as a red, scaly growth or patch of skin, an irregular shaped and dark mole or a growth of skin that has a pearlescent look. There are different types of skin cancer, so the appearance of the original growth on the skin varies. The three primary types of skin cancer include; squamous cell carcinomas, basal cell carcinomas and melanomas. There are also several different types of Skin Cancer Treatment in St. Paul, MN and the treatment used depends on the specific type of skin cancer, where it the skin cancer is located and how large it is.
Common types of skin cancer treatment include; chemotherapy, radiation, cryosurgery, Mohs surgery and/or excision. The most common types of skin cancer include squamous cell carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas. Both types are typically limited to the skin and surrounding, nearby tissues; however, squamous cell carcinomas may sometimes spread to the lymph modes. Skin Cancer Treatment in St. Paul, MN for basal cell carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas can often be done by removing the tissue that is visibly altered with a procedure known as excision.
Cryosurgery is also a treatment for these types of skin cancer, which involves freezing the altered tissue to kill the cancer cells or a procedure known as electrodessication may be used, which involves burning the cancer cells and removing the dead tissue. If either of these types of skin cancer are deeper in the skin layers, Mohs surgery may be used. This procedure is done by cutting out the visually damaged tissue as well as the remaining layers of cancerous cells in deeper skin layers.
The least common type of skin cancer is melanoma, which is also a serious form of skin cancer. This type of Skin Cancer Treatment in St. Paul, MN typically involves surgery, because it often spreads to other areas of the body, so surgery is necessary to remove the damaged tissues and/or lymph modes. In some situations chemotherapy is used to kill off any circulating cancer cells. If you suspect you have any form of skin cancer, it is important to visit your physician for an examination as soon as possible to prevent the risk of further damage.
