Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers, but the good news is that it's highly treatable when detected early. At his private practice in Grapevine, Texas, board-certified dermatologist James R. Bond, Jr., MD, PA, diagnoses and removes skin cancer to prevent it from spreading and becoming dangerous. Call his office to schedule a skin cancer screening or use the online booking feature today.
Skin cancer is a type of cancer that affects skin cells, causing them to replicate abnormally. Squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma are the most common types of skin cancer, with melanoma being the most dangerous. Early detection and treatment of skin cancer reduces your risk of serious complications.
The common symptoms of skin cancer include:
Any time you have an unusual-looking mole or skin lesion that changes in appearance, see Dr. Bond for a skin check.
While anyone can develop skin cancer, common risk factors for having it include:
To reduce your chance of getting skin cancer, protect your skin from the sun, avoid tanning beds, perform skin checks regularly, and report unusual skin lesions to Dr. Bond as soon as possible.
To find out if you have skin cancer, Dr. Bond reviews your medical history and your symptoms. He examines tissues containing new or unusual skin changes. He may also take a sample of skin cells during a biopsy and send it to a lab for analysis, before tailoring your treatment plan.
Dr. Bond uses various methods to remove skin cancer, such as freezing, excisional surgery, electrodesiccation, cryotherapy, and Mohs surgery. During Mohs surgery, he removes skin-cancer tissues, layer by layer, and examines them under a microscope to make sure he removes all cancer cells with minimal scarring.
In some cases, you may also need chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological therapy that uses your body’s immune system to destroy cancer cells, photodynamic therapy (laser light and drugs), or other cancer treatments to reduce the chance of dangerous complications.
To find out if you have skin cancer or get treated for it, call James R. Bond, Jr., MD, PA, or schedule an appointment online today.