Treatment OptionsYour dermatological surgeon will select the most appropriate treatment for a particular skin cancer or pre-cancerous condition from among the following procedures and techniques:

Curettage: Malignant tissue is scraped away with a sharp instrument. This method is most effective for small, superficial cancers that were not treated previously. It is often followed by destruction of the cancerous tissue with an electric needle.

Pre-cancerous Surgical Excision
This involves cutting into the skin and removing the growth. The skin is then closed with stitches.

Cryosurgery: Liquid nitrogen is applied directly to the skin to freeze cancerous tissue.

Topical Chemotherapy: The application to the skin surface of chemicals capable of destroying pre-cancerous growths.

MOHS Micrographic Surgery: Excision of a tumor and its surrounding skin with the aid of a microscope. This method allows the dermatological surgeon to trace the outline of a cancerous growth, layer by layer, with exceptional accuracy. Physicians who have the training, surgical and laboratory facilities, and staff to perform this specialized technique practice the MOHS surgery technique of skin cancer removal.