More and more people around me are having surgery to remove suspected skin cancers. In the back of our minds, we knew it was possible, our youth spent in honing a beautiful tan with the help of our trusted baby oil. Now we pay the piper. Weird patches are forming on our faces, bumps and lumps, scales and scabs, all the while we live in fear – could it be…. I hope it’s not….skin cancer?

What can we do? First, we ALL know how to prevent skin cancer, right?  Stay out of the sun during peak hours, wear sunscreen, reapply sunscreen, wear light clothing, hats, stay under an umbrella – you  know the drill. Do you really take all these precautions? OR, do you think, it won’t happen to me?  Are we more concerned about how to get rid of our wrinkles produced from sun damage, than preventing skin cancer? Say it isn’t so – after all we’re not dumb … or vain, right?

Well, in my age group I can tell you that skin cancers are popping up all over. Basal Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma are the ones I am hearing most often.  Now we are in a panic – what can we do?

Here are my tips:

Use Apriori Beauty Skin Care – Sun protection of ~25, Contains Caffeine which can possibly kill skin cancer cells.

Find yourself a great Dermatologist that uses a skin cancer screening device like the Dermatoscope.

Go OFTEN – every 6 months – for a skin check – every 3 months if you have suspicious looking “things”.

Make sure your Dermatologist is skilled in the MOHS Micrographic Surgery Technique~

Wait, what did you say? What is MOHS?

Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, developed a special technique many, many years ago that is useful for removing certain types of skin cancers which allows for “precise microscopic marginal control by using horizontal frozen sections…..has become the treatment of choice for basal cell carcinomas (BCC’s) and Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC’s) at high risk for local recurrence.”

What this means is that the MOHS procedure will remove the skin cancers layer by layer, horizontally, because these cancers grow in much the same way a tree grows by spreading roots – wide and deep. By taking the layer by layer approach, the dermatologist can look at each layer under the microscope to know when all the cancerous skin cells are removed, thus preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. 

“The advantage of the MOHS Micrographic Surgery Technique is that 100% of the surgical margin of the specimen, including periphery and undersurface, is examined.  In contrast, only 0.01% of the margin is sampled when a standard surgical pathologic technique is used.  The maximal amount of normal tissue is conserved with the MOHS method; this is of particular value in treating tumors on the face or in other critical areas.” 

“Thus the advantages of the MOHS procedure are:

Superior cure rates

Maximal Tissue Conservation

Ability to trace perineural or infiltrating tumors histologically

Low cost relative to that of radiation therapy, excision with frozen sections, or surgery in hospital operating rooms.

Negligible risk of complications from anesthesia, because of the almost exclusive use of local anesthesia in MOHS procedures.”

My previous dermatologist did not use either the Dermatoscope for diagnosing, or the MOHS procedure in removing my Basal Cell Carcinomas.  With the treatment of my third one, I was required to return to have more tissue removed because they did not get it all. It was explained to me that they would get it all this time because “they could feel the difference between the unhealthy and healthy tissues”. I responded with “Why couldn’t you feel it the first time?” What began as a suspicious looking red spot about two millimeters wide, turned into an area of tissue removed the size of a quarter. AND I still don’t know if they have removed it all.

MY NEW Dermatologist uses a Dermatoscope to look at my suspicious areas every visit, and is proficient in MOHS Micrographic Surgery. I am so thankful I found him and I rest a lot easier at night knowing that when things do pop up, I have the best chance of catching them early, and having complete removal of anything abnormal.

Source for this blog post and to learn more details about MOHS Micrographic Surgery:

 http://www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/1125510

Thanks for stopping by and “Making My Life Beautiful”!

XO Candy

1. Tamara Says:
   July 7th, 2010 at 5:13 pm

   Great information. I learned something new. I like that. Glad you shared. I am going to ask my doc when I go. Keep bringing these helpful posts. )

2. admin Says:
   July 7th, 2010 at 5:53 pm

   Thank you! I’m glad to find out about the success rate!

3. Understanding And Preventing Skin Cancer « mesothelioma-faq.us Says:
   July 28th, 2010 at 7:24 am

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