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Don’t Be Spooked By Skin Cancer?

Posted on October 28, 2016

With Halloween fast approaching, our physicians and staff don’t want you to be scared of skin cancer… we want you to be well informed.

Skin cancer can be a scary diagnosis, but if detected early skin cancers can oftentimes be cured easily. Because early detection is the key to successful treatment, The Woodruff Institute for Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery emphasizes the importance of regular full body skin screenings, to detect skin cancers in the earliest stages.

Should you get a skin cancer diagnosis, common skin cancer treatments include electrodesiccation and curettage (also known as ED&C), topical therapies, surgical excision, and/or radiation. However, if the tumor is in a cosmetically sensitive area, has been previously treated, is large, is not clearly defined, or arises in a scar, Mohs surgery offers the highest potential for complete removal of the cancer, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. Mohs surgery has superior cure rates to surgical excision with frozen sections. In Mohs surgery, the tissue is processed so that every cell along the margins is examined. With traditional frozen sections only a few samples of the whole specimen are examined, with the hope that the samples represent the entire tumor.

The Woodruff Institute, located in Naples, Bonita Springs – Estero, & Fort Myers, Florida offers Southwest Florida patients the benefits of fellowship trained Mohs Surgeons and a board certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon under one roof. Our patients receive the precision of a Mohs Surgeon and the aesthetic expertise of a Facial Plastic Surgeon for the treatment of their skin cancers. A Mohs surgeon is a specially trained dermatologist who removes skin cancers and is also speically trained as a pathologist and reconstructive surgeon. The American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology (Mohs College) (www.mohscollege.org) is the oldest professional organization of physicians trained in Mohs micrographic surgery. To be accepted as a member of the Mohs College, a physician must complete a three-year residency in dermatology or a related field, plus a one- or two-year fellowship approved by the Mohs College that includes extensive training in pathology and reconstructive surgery. Physicians who have completed a Mohs College approved fellowship will, by virtue of their rigorous training, possess the skills and expertise necessary to perform Mohs microgaphic surgery at all levels of complexity.

Click here for frequently asked questions about Mohs Surgery.