BUILD A DIY SUN SPOTTER HOW TO
BUILD A DIY SUN SPOTTER SKIN

Melanomas, which are far less common than BCCs and SCCs, can be more dangerous. In rare cases, a BCC or SCC may become advanced and require additional treatment with medications. Kober, who has extensive training and experience in Mohs surgery. This technique has a high cure rate and achieves the smallest possible scar, says Dr. The surgeon repeats this until there is no evidence of cancer. If any cancer cells remain, they are pinpointed and removed. In Mohs surgery, which is recommended for some BCCs and SCCs and requires special training, the Mohs surgeon removes the visible tumor and a very small margin and analyzes the processed tissue in an on-site lab while the patient waits. Treatment options are based on the size and location of the cancer, and may include topical medications, scraping and burning, freezing, radiation, light-based treatments like lasers and photodynamic therapy, and excision or Mohs surgery.Įxcision means the physician surgically removes the tumor with a scalpel, then sends it to a lab for later analysis of the margins.

BUILD A DIY SUN SPOTTER SKIN

The two most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the major nonmelanoma skin cancers. “It’s not quite as strong or as elastic, the color and texture may be different and it doesn’t produce hair, oil or sweat,” Dr. Even when healed, scar tissue is never completely like normal skin.

It can take up to a year for a scar to fully heal and reveal its final result. A few days later, the tissue starts to contract and make a scar.

Later, cells called fibroblasts make collagen, growth factors and other substances to help mend and rebuild the skin. Your immune system kicks in and creates inflammation, which helps fight infection and start the healing. Wherever there’s been an injury, she says, the first thing that happens is that blood cells called platelets gather together and form a clot to stop the bleeding and seal the wound. Dermatologic surgeon Mary-Margaret Kober, MD, who practices in the Denver area, helps explain it in simple terms. Healing is a multipart process, and the science behind it is complex. What is a scar, exactly?Ī scar is your skin’s natural way of knitting itself back together after it’s been hurt. We asked two expert physicians to share their expertise on everything you need to know to be scar-savvy, from wound care to scar repair. Either way, we want to reassure you that a scar demonstrates the healing power of your own skin. You may or may not be worried about that. If you need surgery to remove it, you probably will end up with some kind of scar to add to your collection. If it’s treated when it’s small, you may not even have a scar. That’s much better than if it stayed undiagnosed and continued to grow. If you’ve been diagnosed with skin cancer and are going in for treatment, good for you. You can probably trace some milestones with a tour of your own skin: the chicken pox you couldn’t stop scratching when you were 7, the time you fell off your bike, that acne that tormented you in high school or when you had a C-section along with your bundle of joy.

BUILD A DIY SUN SPOTTER HOW TO

Our expert dermatologists tell how to nurture a new scar to get the best outcome - and, if needed, how to fix an older scar to make it look better.Īlmost no one gets through life without a few scars. If you have a scar, congratulations! Think of it as a badge of courage and healing. If This Tree Could Talk! Every scar tells a story.

Build a diy sun spotter