Skin Cancer - Available Procedures - Plastic Surgery Associates of Tidewater

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Skin Cancer

General Considerations:

You only get one skin in your lifetime so treat it kindly. Actually the skin is a very complex organ that is constantly turning over with new cells. There is much that can be done to enhance the quality and the longevity of your skin. Avoid excessive exposure to the sun. When outdoors, even on a cloudy day, you can still get radiation exposure. We recommend using a sun screen (SPF #30) on exposed areas. Reapply as often as needed. Also note that tanning beds are not without risk and can cause permanent skin damage. Smoking also adversely affects the skin. If you do smoke - for the sake of your lungs, heart, and skin - please stop.

Some people are born with a noticeable significant skin lesion - birth mark, mole, or hemangioma, but most often these and other blemishes develop slowly over time. Most of these are harmless. However, over the years irritated skin and moles can turn into cancer. There is clearly a very significant genetic factor in developing skin cancers. When there is a family history of skin cancer you must be extra careful and extra vigilant.

Skin Cancers:

Skin cancers do not develop overnight. Generally speaking there are signs and symptoms which progress over a period of weeks, months, or even years. A change in the size, shape, color, or thickness of a skin blemish or mole may be significant. Symptoms of itching, burning, and especially bleeding can indicate a problem. When you have a concern you should always seek qualified medical evaluation. If others in your family have had skin cancer, or if you have had one in the past, you should have regular checkups by someone specially trained to recognize cancer.

You can reduce the risk of developing skin cancer by avoiding excessive exposure to the sun and other forms of radiation, and by avoiding tobacco use, both smoking and chewing. However, even some people who have a dark complexion, who avoid the sun, and who have never smoked still have problems. These individuals may have inherited a predisposition to getting skin cancers. Unfortunately we are seeing skin cancers in an ever younger population. Many young men and young women in their early twenties have already required treatment for skin cancers.

The most important thing to remember about skin cancers, however, is that they are almost always curable when detected early - hence the importance of skin cancer screens. Even patients with the dreaded malignant melanoma can usually be cured if the cancer is found in its earliest stages.

We at Plastic Surgery Associates of Tidewater will be happy to evaluate any and all skin lesions about which you have a concern, or, if you prefer we can provide an overall screening examination. In most instances we will use special loupe magnification which provides us a four and one-half power enlargement of the area in question. This gives us the best possible opportunity to make a correct diagnosis.

Skin lesions fall into two broad categories:

1. Benign (non-cancerous) Lesions: These can be removed for several reasons.

To prevent irritation from clothing
To prevent spreading as in the case of warts
To improve appearance.

2. Malignant (cancerous) Lesions: These must be removed.

Basal and squamous cell skin cancers are as a rule slow growing and have a low potential to spread to distant sites. Prompt, conservative, but not urgent removal within weeks is indicated.
Melanoma is a very serious type of skin cancer and does have the potential to spread to distant parts of the body (metastasize). Urgent, wide, but rarely radical, surgery is indicated.

Old Scars

Many patients come to our offices for evaluation of old scars resulting from accidents, infection (e.g. acne), or previous surgery. There is nothing which can be done to completely remove an old scar. However, by using sophisticated plastic surgical techniques much can usually be done to reduce the disfigurement. In some cases this will require a series of revisions and the application of multiple techniques.

Aging Gracefully

With time everyone's skin ages. Sun exposure, smoking, weight gain or loss, and hereditary factors play important roles in skin changes over one's lifetime. For this reason patient's skin ages at different rates. We see some patients in their twilight years with naturally smooth, wrinkle and blemish free skin. Others in their early years look like they are overtaking grandma. Even with this wide variation there are some general observations and recommendations we can make to enhance both the short and long-term quality of your skin.

If you smoke - STOP
Avoid excessive sun exposure
Use good quality skin care products and use them regularly
Avail yourself of the latest techniques in skin rejuvenation

The term "chemical peel" is unfortunately associated with visions of paying thousands of dollars, being secluded for weeks at a time, and a high risk of complications. Well, things have changed - welcome to the 90s. Many patients in their 20s and early 30s, and even teenagers with mild scarring from acne, are realizing the benefits of Refreshing (glycolic acid) Peels. By using a series of mild peels carried out in the office we can improve and help maintain the texture of your skin without interrupting your lifestyle. With these peels there is no "down time". If a somewhat deeper refreshment of the skin is needed other state of the art peels are also available with minimal risk, but significant benefits.

When the aging process has produced fine wrinkling, when "age spots" seem to be growing like weeds, or when acne scars are more prominent, we recommend the latest techniques in facial rejuvenation - Laser Resurfacing. The laser is the most precise, controlled and predictable tool available to provide dramatic and long lasting improvement in the quality and texture of your skin. Although much more involved, and more costly than the peels noted above, laser resurfacing is rapidly becoming the most popular procedure sought by patients, even in their 30's to turn the tide against facial aging.


Before laser resurfacing	After laser resurfacing

Localized excess fat is one of the most common naturally occurring deformities adversely affecting facial and other areas of body contour. Liposuction is a safe and highly effective way to restore proportions in most patients. The selective removal of excess fat can be carried out alone or in conjunction with other procedures.

Mother and daughter?" No, before and after facelift and eyelid tuck.

Gravity keeps our feet on the ground. It also makes our skin sag. Weight gain and loss can also accelerate this process. As we get older, the techniques of skin resurfacing unfortunately are less effective in tightening up the baggy skin that collects around the eyes, under the jaw line, and on the cheeks and neck. In these instances mini or full Face Lift procedures provide the most dramatic and long lasting results. We have cared for patients from their teens to their eighties who have benefited tremendously from facelift techniques. You may be surprised to know that patients seeking this technique for facial rejuvenation are most commonly in the 40-55 year age group.

To see more results of Liposuction click here