If you have gone to the dermatologist and they have determined you have precancerous skin lesions or skin cancer, you will need to treat those lesions. With skin cancer, sometimes all that is needed is a little surface removal of the skin. However, sometimes additional treatment is needed to clear the cancer away. Here are some options for dealing with skin cancer.

1. Freezing

One of the most common options, especially when the cancer is caught early, is freezing. With freezing, your doctor will apply liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill the tissue. That tissue will fall away after it thaws. This process is formally known as cryosurgery. The process is really similar to the one used to remove warts using a liquid nitrogen spray.

2. Excisional Surgery

Next up is excisional surgery. With this procedure, your doctor will go in and cut away the cancerous tissues. They are also going to cut a little extra margin of extra healthy skin to ensure that all of the cancerous tissues are removed and that you are cancer-free. This is used for smaller areas of cancer.

3. Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is often used alongside other surgery options. Radiation is usually only used with skin therapy if, for some reason, cancer can't be completely removed using surgery. In that case, radiation can be used to kill off the remainder of the cancer.

4. Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy is a newer type of skin cancer treatment option. With this, you take specific drugs that are designed to make the cancer cells stand out and be more sensitive to light. Then, once the drugs are active, laser lights are used to kill the cancer cells. This treatment allows for a really focused attack on the cancer and can be used to save one's skin.

5. Mohs Surgery

Next, another option is Mohs surgery. This surgery is often used for either area that is difficult to treat sin cancer or for larger sections of skin cancer. This type of surgery is used to remove skin cancer while working to preserve the skin.

This is a very precise surgery, as the doctor removes a layer of skin, checks it for abnormal cells, and then removes the next layer of skin. By working layer by layer, the doctor ensures no more layers are taken than is necessary and also ensures that no healthy skin is lost during the process.

Talk to your dermatologist to figure out what your options are for dealing with your skin cancer. The available skin cancer treatment options will depend on the location, depth, size, and type of cancer or lesions on your body.

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