Skin Cancer Treatment in Kentucky

Serving Patients with Skin Cancer in Louisville & Lexington KY

Every year millions of people are diagnosed with skin cancers. There are three main types of skin cancer, which are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

Essentially, skin cancer is an abnormal growth of skin cells. It typically develops from exposure to the sun, but it can also occur in areas of your body that are not generally exposed to sunlight.

Skin cancers are actually a very common form of cancer, but the diagnosis can still be anxiety-producing. People with this diagnosis rightfully worry about treatment and their prognosis.

The good news is that fortunately, cures are very common for skin cancer, especially if the cancer is caught early.

Schedule an appointment in our Lexington, KY office or call us at (859) 279-2111.

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Avoiding Skin Cancer

The best way to prevent skin cancer is by avoiding or limiting your exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, using sunscreen liberally when outdoors, and by carefully checking your skin for changes.

Diagnosing Skin Cancer

Skin monitoring by a dermatologist, or your primary care physician is key. If skin cancer appears, the best chance for successful treatment is early detection of the cancer.

To properly diagnose skin cancer, your doctor may look at your skin to visually determine any skin changes that may be cancerous. Then he may require further testing to confirm. Further testing can include removing a sample of the skin that looks different. This is called a skin biopsy. The biopsy will be sent to a lab for further testing and evaluation. The biopsy of your skin is what will determine if you have skin cancer or not, and if you do, what type of skin cancer it is.

Skin Cancer Diagnosis

If you are suffering from skin cancer, there is hope.

The first key is to figure out the extent of the skin cancer, and we may request additional tests if needed to figure out the stage of the skin cancer. Typically, superficial skin cancers don’t spread. This type is often called basal cell carcinoma. However, a large type of cancer called a squamous cell carcinoma or Merkel cell carcinoma or melanoma has an increased potential to spread. Sometimes we will ask for imaging tests of your lymph nodes as well.

When talking about cancer doctors use Roman numerals. They will use I through IV to name the stage that the cancer is in, with stage I cancers being small and limited to the area they began in. Knowing the stage the cancer is in will help determine how to best treat it.