South Florida sun exposure makes skin cancer common and highly treatable when it is found early. This is how the whole pathway works, from a spot you noticed to a treated site.
Most skin cancers found early are curable. The pathway is the same each time: examination with dermoscopy, biopsy of anything suspicious, pathology, then treatment matched to the diagnosis.
Questions about your own situation? Call (786) 738-9515.
Basal cell carcinoma often looks like a pearly bump, a persistent pink patch or a sore that heals and reopens. It rarely spreads but it invades locally, and on the face that local damage is the reason to treat it early.
Squamous cell carcinoma tends to be scaly, crusted, sometimes tender, and often appears on sun-exposed sites — ears, scalp, lips, forearms, hands. It grows more quickly and carries a real, if modest, risk of spread.
Melanoma may arise in an existing mole or as a new lesion. Depth at diagnosis is what drives prognosis, which is why any changing pigmented lesion is examined promptly rather than watched for months.
A skin cancer screening is a systematic examination of the whole skin surface, including the scalp, behind the ears, between the toes and the soles of the feet, with a dermatoscope for anything of interest.
Photographs are used to document lesions we intend to monitor, so the comparison at your next visit is objective rather than a matter of memory. Patients with many moles, fair skin, previous skin cancer or a family history are put on a defined follow-up interval.
Bring a list of spots that concern you. Patient-noticed change is one of the most useful pieces of information we get.
When a lesion is suspicious, we take a skin biopsy under local anaesthetic. The technique — shave, punch or excisional — is chosen so the pathologist receives what they need, particularly the depth for a possible melanoma.
The sample goes to a dermatopathologist and we discuss the result with you as soon as it returns, including what the report means and what happens next. No result is delivered as a bare piece of paper.
Anything requiring specialist surgical management, such as Mohs surgery on a delicate facial site, is coordinated with a referral while we stay involved in follow-up.
Daily broad-spectrum sun protection, reapplied when outdoors, plus hats and shade in the middle of the day. Treat pre-cancerous actinic keratoses rather than ignoring them.
Check your own skin monthly. Use the ABCDE rule for pigmented lesions — Asymmetry, Border, Colour, Diameter, Evolving — and treat the "ugly duckling" spot that looks unlike your others as worth showing us. Any sore that has not healed in a month deserves a look.
To book an examination call (786) 738-9515, or read this in Spanish at detección de cáncer de piel.
Most adults benefit from an annual full-skin examination. Patients with fair skin, many moles, significant sun exposure, previous skin cancer or a family history are usually seen more often.
A medical skin examination is generally a covered service under the plans we accept. Coverage details depend on your plan, so check the accepted insurance list or call us.
Commonly a new or changing spot: a pearly bump, a scaly patch that will not heal, a sore that reopens, or a mole changing in size, shape or colour. Early lesions are often small and painless, which is why examination matters more than symptoms.
