Skin cancer is a condition in which cancer cells attack your skin cells. They may come out in the form of moles that are oddly shaped or have changed colors, or you may have a growth that is flesh-colored. You may also have other signs or odd markings on the body that could be cancerous.

Skin cancer should be diagnosed properly by a dermatologist and then treated as needed depending on the stage of cancer you have. To diagnose skin cancer, you would have to have your skin cells removed and then sent to a lab for inspection. Read on for more information about skin cancer diagnosis and how it is treated. 

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of skin cancer usually involves skin cells being scraped with a scalpel. If you have a mole or a growth, the growth is removed and tested. If it has skin cancer cells, more of your skin may need to be removed to test for cancerous cells. If more cells are detected, more skin will need to be removed. This may occur a few different times, but there is only so much that can be removed with a scalpel in the office. You may need to have surgery to remove even deeper skin cells and stitches may also be required.

Treatment

Surgically removing the skin cells in a surgical procedure may be required if your skin cancer is deep. If deeper cells cannot be cut out, other treatment may be required. You may need to have chemotherapy or radiation to kill the cancerous cells. The length of time you may need chemotherapy or radiation depends on the severity of the skin cancer and how far it has spread. If it has spread to your organs, other types of treatment may be required as well. The type of treatment you need is going to depend on the dermatologist and the treatment schedule that they come up with in order to get rid of your skin cancer for good.

If you have moles or other growths on the body that are new, or old growths that have changed in any way, you need to make an appointment with the dermatologist to have it inspected and checked for cancerous cells if the dermatologist suspects it may be skin cancer. If your dermatologist suspects your growth is cancerous, you need to have it tested and then treated as required to have it removed. Pay attention to the signs of changes in growths on the skin and report them to the dermatologist.

Reach out to a dermatologist to learn more about skin cancer treatment.