There are many types of skin cancers. Most can be completely removed in our office under local anesthesia. The area around a skin cancer is numbed with a small needle and syringe. The cancer is removed with a knife and sent to the lab for microscopic examination. During your follow-up visit, we will remove the stitches and discuss the final report from the lab. On a rare occasion, more skin needs to be removed to obtain “clear margins” and to increase the chance of a complete cure.
Melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer that usually requires a wide margin of skin around the lesion. This will require a trip to the operating room for the final excision and closure of the wound.