6 June 2018
 Categories: , Blog

Basal cell carcinoma cells are abnormal and uncontrolled lesion growths that originate in your skin's basal cells. Basal cells line the deepest layer of your epidermis, which is the outer layer of your skin. When compromised, these cells may materialize as shiny bumps, open sores or red patches and pinkish growths. Basal cell carcinomas are generally caused by intense sun exposure. Although the condition never metastasizes and can be treated, be aware that BCC is the most frequently occurring type of skin cancer, and you should seek early intervention to avoid future disfigurement, nerve injury or muscle injury.

Process Of Removal

Skin cancers are removed by surgeons. With small BCCs, your post-surgical scars are easily repaired from a cosmetic point of view. However, aggressive forms of BCCs can become dangerous when they're not treated early. So large tumor growths over time almost always require skin grafting or the use of a flap for repairing the wound. 

Do Not Ignore Symptoms

Do not ignore symptoms that may appear to resemble eczema or psoriasis, because they could prove to be BCC. Consult with your physician or a dermatologist who are highly skilled skin care professionals, like ones at Strnot Dermatology. They can easily tell the difference between what is psoriasis or eczema and what is actually a basal cell carcinoma. A biopsy will be ordered if the diagnosis is possible BCC.

Mohs Treatment

When the result of your biopsy is returned, and if positive for BCC, treatment planning begins for your scheduled surgery. Local anesthesia will be applied at the treatment site when you return for your surgical skin cancer procedure. Mohs treatment is a popular application used to remove cancerous BCC cells. Your Mohs surgeon uses a method called mapping, which pinpoints the area of your body where the cancerous cells are located. He or she removes a thin layer of tissue that contains the tumor and continues to remove more thin layers of tissue until the last excised layer microscopically shows no more cancer cells at the excision site.

You do benefit from this procedure that also preserves your healthy tissue. This procedure ensures that you'll experience the highest cure rate at 99 percent and in some cases even better than the expected 99 percent rate. Surgeons generally use Mohs surgery for large tumors in cosmetically important areas.

Other Treatment Methods

There are other treatment methods that individual surgeons use depending on the size and depth of the tumor. Some surgeons use laser treatment that utilizes a beam of light to destroy obvious BCC cells via a process called ablation. Nonnablative lasers can also further convert the beam of light into heat that's used to destroy cancerous tumors as well. Note that laser therapy really is not yet approved for BCC but is used when other techniques fail to be successful.