The Skin Cancer Foundation states that 9,500 individuals in the U.S. receive a skin cancer diagnosis each day. While this is shocking, almost all skin cancers, when caught early, are curable. Fortunately, Dr. Paul Fischer and his team, serving Milford, CT, and the nearby region, offer screenings and can intervene with treatment.
Most skin cancers are caused by sun exposure over our lifetime and proper skin care starts with annual screenings allowing a dermatologic practitioner to evaluate your skin for suspicious lesions.
Biopsy
A biopsy is the first step in diagnosing the nature of any skin lesion suspicious for cancer. It is a vital component of your treatment process because it provides our Milford, CT, physician with valuable insight regarding treatment choices
This is a simple process requiring small amount of local anesthesia which allows removal of a portion of the growth which is then sent for pathologic analysis. Generally no sutures are needed.
Skin Cancer Removal
The goal of any skin cancer removal procedure is to remove all the cancerous tissue. Most of the time this is done surgically, although occasionally topical treatments can also be utilized.
The removal process is most often done in the office under local anesthesia , however larger lesions may require the use of a local outpatient operative facility to provide adequate anesthesia for removal .
In specific cases, there is also the option for resection using Mohs surgery which is a procedure done by thin shave excision of the cancer and real-time pathology examination. Although Dr. Fischer does not offer this particular method of cancer removal his office has excellent referral channels to other practitioners who do.
While we can address most malignant skin issues, you may sometimes need a referral for more extensive care if you have a type known to spread to your internal tissue, specifically melanoma. If this is the case after diagnosis we will provide you referral access to the Melanoma Center at Yale for treatment.
Dr. Paul Fischer and his team, serving Milford, CT, and the neighboring communities, want you to know that if you have any suspicious moles or other blemishes to get them checked. Treatments are much less invasive when we detect a problem early.
Call (203) 301-5860