Limner Dermatology is a family-owned clinic that has served generations of San Antonio residents. It offers a variety of medical and cosmetic services.
What does skin cancer treatment in San Antonio involve?
Skin cancer treatment in San Antonio will depend on the type of skin cancer, its size, and its location. In many cases, the doctor may excise or surgically remove the cancer, plus a margin of seemingly healthy tissue to make certain they did not miss any stray cancer cells.
Mohs surgery is often the treatment of choice for many basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. It has a cure rate of 98 or 99 percent – which is significantly higher than other treatment methods.
Mohs surgery is a painstaking procedure in which the surgeon will remove the visible part of the cancer and a thin layer of neighboring skin and tissue. The doctor will take the tissue to a laboratory and carefully prepare and map it for examination under a microscope. If the doctor finds cancer cells beyond the tumor, they will remove more tissue from the patient and examine that. They will repeat the process until they have a sample that is free of cancer cells.
The surgeon may use topical medications, cryosurgery (freezing), or electrosurgery to treat smaller and less aggressive basal cell carcinomas. They usually excise melanomas and may refer the patient to an oncologist for further monitoring and treatment.
What is an actinic keratosis?
An actinic keratosis is a pre-cancerous growth that develops on areas exposed to the sun. It is rough and scaly and can be pink, red, brown, or flesh-colored. There are several different ways to treat an actinic keratosis, and they include topical medications, cryosurgery, and photodynamic therapy.
In photodynamic therapy, the doctor will give the patient a medication to increase their sensitivity to light. They will then expose the patient to wavelengths of light that can kill cancer cells.
Contact Limner Dermatology to learn more about skin cancer treatment in San Antonio or visit the website https://limmerdermatology.com/.
