There are various forms of skin cancer. Working on the South Coast as a dermatologist I encounter a lot of skin cancer and I have a wide experience in both diagnosis and treatment. I have a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of facial skin cancers having trained in skin surgery at St Johns’ Institute of Dermatology, I continued to train in facial surgery within the Maxillofacial Department at Western Sussex Hospitals Trust. I now train Specialist Registars in facial skin cancer surgery, I have been the skin cancer lead for Western Sussex Hospitals Trust for 5 years and was the skin cancer chair for the Sussex NSSG and the educational lead for 3 years. I have a particular interest in the use of dermoscopy in diagnosis of skin cancer, particularly melanoma, I lecture in this subject. Treatment for pre-cancerous and established skin cancer varies and it is important that your dermatologist chooses the most effective treatment, that will treat the skin cancer but also cause minimal skin damage and subsequent scarring.
Sun damage and pre-cancerous conditions
Patients who have had a lot of sun exposure, for example from outdoor sports such as sailing and ski-ing may have sun damage to their skin. This may manifest with premature lines, freckling and changes in pigmentation of the skin. Pigmentary changes may be seen as areas of darker skin e.g. sun spots/liver spots on areas of lighter skin. Some times the skin develops warty/rough areas. These may be actinic keratoses. If left, a small percentage of these lesions may become cancerous, thus we recommend their treatment. A more established change in the skin,where one can develop scaling pink or pigmented plaques, is called Bowens disease. This is precancerous and needs treatment. Often this can be treated with freezing (cryotherapy) a cream for example Efudix or light treatment (photodynamic therapy).
Assessing the importance and relevance of these different types of conditions is difficult, and should be undertaken by a trained specialist.
Basal cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Malignant melanoma
This is the most serious skin cancer. There are over 10 000 new cases a year in the UK. The incidence rates of melanoma have more that quadrupled in the last 30 years.It is important to pick this skin cancer up early, as if removed in the early stages the risk of recurrence is very low. A melanoma can arise de-novo or as change with a pre- existing mole. Important features to look for are increase in size and particularly change in shape. Change in colour is also important – is the mole darker, developing different colours within it, or is it red and inflamed? Is it symptomatic, itching or bleeding? Does it simply stand out, looking different to your other moles?
If you are at all concerned it is very important to seek an opinion quickly. A dermatologist will examine the mole in question and usually give you a full skin check. It may be necessary to remove the mole if there is any clinical uncertainty. This can be done easily under a local anaesthetic.