1. What is the best treatment for skin cancer?
As dangerous as skin cancer can be, there are a number of highly effective treatment options. The key, however, is early detection!
“Depending on the type of cancer, there are multiple ways of treating it. Surgical procedures offer the best cure rates with Mohs micrographic surgery being the gold standard for treatment of most skin cancer on head and neck.”
2. How does Mohs surgery work/how is it different than other treatments?
Unlike many cancer treatments, Mohs is highly effective at treating skin cancer provided that it’s detected early.
Mohs surgery works like this:
It’s performed on an outpatient basis. First, local anesthesia is used to numb the tumor site. Then, as much of the visible tumor as possible is taken off by scraping with a special instrument. This delineates the clinical margins of the tumor. A thin layer of skin at the tumor site is then removed and examined under a microscope. If evidence of tumor cells is found at the edges of the sample, the surgeon will remove and examine another skin sample. These steps will be repeated until no tumor can be detected under the microscope. Depending on the extent of the tumor, the process may be repeated several times. Most patients clear in 2 or 3 layers.
During this procedure, the healthy skin is preserved, facilitating a more elegant reconstruction resulting in a smaller scar. When performed by a fellowship trained Mohs surgeon like Dr. Garcia-Zuazaga, the cure rates are 98% for most common skin cancers.
3. What can a patient expect during and after Mohs surgery?
Mohs surgery is a very common, simple procedure. There’s usually not much pain or discomfort after surgery. In fact, most people return to their normal daily activities the following day, though the sire is usually bandaged for a few days.
We recommend that you have extra strength Tylenol available. Please avoid taking Advil, Motrin or Aleve for pain after the procedure since these medications may thin your blood. On certain occasions, your doctor may prescribe a prescription pain medication after the procedure.
4. How many Mohs surgeries have you performed to date?
With a procedure like Mohs, experience is best. Dr. Garcia-Zuazaga has performed over 20,000 skin cancer surgeries in his career. “Apex is becoming the premier referral skin cancer center in our region, and it’s because experience counts when it comes to skin cancer,” he says.
5. What are other common skin cancer treatments?
Since skin cancer is so common and varied, there are a number of different treatment options with different levels of success.
There are surgical options like Mohs surgery, excisional surgery, cryosurgery and more.
Other common, non-surgical skin cancer treatment options include radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy, topical medications, and even laser treatment.
Each of our seven Apex Skin locations is staffed with board-certified dermatologists that are focused on our mission: to transform lives through healthy skin. Each of us take time to discuss appropriate treatment plans and ensure all is communicated appropriately.
6. How can you prevent skin cancer?
Since it’s always better to prevent tragedy than try and fix it, we always encourage our patients to use a broad spectrum SPF every day (yes, even in the winter), along with regularly visiting a dermatologist for skin checks.
Ultimately, avoiding excessive sun exposure, never using a tanning bed, and ensuring you always wear and reapply sunscreen are go-tos for skin cancer prevention. Apex offers SPOT check program, which earned Dr. Garcia the Red Cross Hero award, and guarantees any suspicious lesion will be seen within 24-hours.
Dr. Garcia says, “It’s a simple program that can save a life.”