Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer. Over the past several decades, it has risen dramatically in the United States. Much of this increase can be attributed to sun exposure. Therefore, skin cancer tends to occur in sun-exposed areas such as the face and the back of the hands. Individuals of a lighter skin tone are at a greater risk for skin cancer, because they do not have as much pigment in their skin, which protects against the sun. Because we currently believe that both cumulative damage over decades and sunburns can eventually lead to skin cancer, it is important to protect your children from the sun. This does not mean preventing them from going outdoors; it is healthy for children to be outdoors and exercise.

However, it does mean applying sunscreen or sun block, or having them wear protective clothing. If your children are out in the sun all day, it is necessary to reapply the sunscreen or sunblock. This is also important for adults. It is never too late to begin to practice sun protection. By protecting yourself from the sun, you will not only lower your risk for skin cancer, but will also keep your skin—which is the body’s largest organ—healthier and reduce the amount of wrinkles.

Because skin cancer is curable, it is important to catch it early. This is particularly true for melanoma which is the most aggressive of the common skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma being the other two). You should examine your skin on a monthly basis. In areas such as the back which is difficult to examine, have someone else look carefully. Any nonhealing sore, or a spot that bleeds, or continually scabs up, or is getting larger, or changing colors should be looked at by a dermatologist.

It is important to have a yearly check-up by your dermatologist who is trained to look for skin cancers. Many people have actinic keratoses, which are scaly red spots that feel like sandpaper to the touch. These can eventually turn into skin cancer. Your dermatologist may freeze these spots with a cold spray. The area will turn red, and possibly create a water blister. After it has healed, the red scaly spot, in most cases, will have disappeared. Should you have a nonhealing spot, your dermatologist may elect to take a skin sample. This usually takes a few minutes, and after numbing the area, the skin is shaved off, or a piece is taken with a cookie cutter device known as a "punch." In this later case, you may require a stitch. The piece of skin is then processed and read under the microscope. Skin cancers have distinct patterns under the microscope. To diagnose a skin cancer in this manner may take several days.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Should you have a skin cancer, it can be treated by a number of methods. Depending on size, location and type of skin cancer, it can be frozen, burned and scraped off, cut out, or in rare cases irradiated. The method that has the highest cure rate is a technique called Mohs Micrographic Surgery. Currently, for a select few skin cancers, there are topical creams that have been shown to be effective. Learn more...

The Stanford Advanced Skin Care Center offers world-class Mohs micrographic skin cancer surgery for patients in Palo Alto, Redwood City, Atherton, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jose,
the Silicon Valley, and the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, call (650)725-5272