Skin Cancer

What causes skin cancer?

The top cause of skin cancer is long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from natural sunlight and tanning beds. Your risk also increases if you have:

• Numerous moles
• Fair skin
• Blond or red hair
• Family history of skin cancer from
• History of blistering sunburns

Even if your blistering sunburns occurred when you were a child, they significantly increase your risk of skin cancer as an adult.

How can I recognize the different types of skin cancer?

These are the three primary types of skin cancer:

Basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma, the most common type, may appear as a raised pink or reddish patch that forms a crust or as a pink, red, white, or translucent bump. In some cases, you may notice a white or yellow scarlike area. This type of cancer may also develop as an open sore that bleeds, oozes, and then crusts.

Squamous cell carcinoma

The second most common type of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma typically begins as dry, scaly lesions called actinic keratoses. These lesions are benign when they first develop. If they’re not treated, they can turn into cancer.

Melanoma

Though melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer, it’s the deadliest because it can spread throughout your body, where it’s hard to treat. Melanoma often begins in an existing, noncancerous mole when cells start to grow abnormally. However, it can also start as a new brown or black lesion resembling a mole.

How do surgeons treat skin cancer?

The surgeons at South Florida Surgical Group completely remove your cancer while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. After applying a local anesthetic, they use one of several surgical techniques to cut away the cancerous lesion along with a small amount of the surrounding tissues.

If you have melanoma, they may also perform a sentinel lymph node biopsy to determine if the cancer spread to the nearby lymph nodes.

The surgical team sends the tissue samples to a lab, where they’re analyzed by a pathologist specializing in skin cancer. In addition to examining the cancerous lesion, the pathologist carefully evaluates the margins of the sample to ensure all the cancer was removed.

Surgical excision of the lesion is all the treatment needed for many skin cancer patients. However, if tests show the cancer spread, you’ll need ongoing radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or targeted therapy.  

To get experienced and compassionate surgical care for skin cancer, call South Florida Surgical Group or book an appointment online.