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Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. It can appear in many ways, making it easy to overlook. The team at Thomas Dermatology, with two locations in Las Vegas and one in Henderson, Nevada, as well as offices in Bullhead City, Kingman, and Lake Havasu City, Arizona, specializes in diagnosing and treating all types of skin cancer. They recommend you come in for a skin examination at least once a year and whenever you have a new or odd-looking skin growth. Schedule a consultation by calling the nearest office or booking an appointment online today.
There are many types of skin cancer. The most common types of skin cancer include:
BCC is the most common type of skin cancer. BCC lesions may appear as skin-colored growths or a pearly bump. They most often appear on the head, neck, and arms.
SCC is the second most common type of skin cancer. SCC may appear as red bumps, scaly patches of skin, or an open sore.
This type of cancer may occur on the ears, face, neck, arms, chest, or back.
Melanoma is less common than BCC or SCC but is the most serious type of skin cancer. This type of skin cancer develops from the pigment-producing cells in your skin — melanocytes.
Melanoma may change the appearance of an old mole or appear as a new mole. If you have any moles of concern, schedule an appointment with the skin cancer experts at Thomas Dermatology right away.
Melanoma grows quickly and may spread to other organs. Early diagnosis and treatment increase your chances of a full recovery.
Actinic keratosis is a dry, rough, scaly skin growth. In a small percentage of people, actinic keratosis turns into skin cancer. These skin growths may go away on their own.
The team at Thomas Dermatology evaluates, diagnoses, and treats actinic keratosis to reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.
When you visit Thomas Dermatology with concerns about a skin growth or mole, the team conducts a comprehensive skin exam.
If they have any concerns about a specific skin growth, they take a biopsy. Thomas Dermatology has an on-site pathology lab where they evaluate the skin biopsy to determine the right diagnosis.
The specialists at Thomas Dermatology use many techniques to treat skin cancer. Treatment for your skin cancer may include:
Excision is the most common treatment for skin cancer. During this procedure, your provider removes the cancerous lesion and some of the surrounding healthy skin.
It is an in-office procedure the team performs using local anesthesia.
For skin lesions that are large, poorly defined, or located in a cosmetically sensitive area (face), the team may recommend Mohs surgery.
During this procedure, a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon removes your lesion one layer at a time, evaluating each layer under a microscope. They continue this process until they reach cancer-free tissue.
Thomas Dermatology also provides radiation oncology for skin cancer. The team uses Electronic Brachytherapy (EBX), which is a highly focused therapy that uses low-energy X-rays without radioactive isotope.
The team offers radiation oncology for patients with SCC or BCC looking for non-surgical treatment options.