Skin Cancer On Face
How does skin cancer on face develop?
The most important cause for the development of skin cancer on face is exposure to sunlight. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight causes damage to the genetic material (DNA) in the cell nuclei of the cells in the skin. Damage to certain parts of the DNA can cause a cell to start growing uncontrollably. As a result, skin cancer on face can develop over time. UV radiation can cause damage to the DNA in everyone and at all ages. Especially sunburning of the skin in childhood seems to be a major cause for the development of skin cancer. People with red hair and people with blue eyes are extra sensitive to skin damage due to sunlight. However, other factors also influence the development of skin cancer on face.
What are the symptoms?
Skin cancer (BCC / PCC) can occur in different ways. Often a red, skin-colored or brown swelling develops on the skin. This is gradually increasing. The swelling may be itchy or painful. The swelling often looks glassy and shiny and small blood vessels can be seen. Often, after a period of time, a non-healing wound develops in the middle of the swelling, and a crust grows on it. With slight contact, these spots may bleed.
Skin cancer is most common on the face or on the ears, as these get the most sunlight.
How is the treatment?
There are several options for treating skin cancer on face. Superficial tumors can be treated with liquid nitrogen, creams, light therapy, by electric burn-out
or surgical removal (cutting away). Special types of skin cancer on face can be irradiated. The dermatologist and/or plastic surgeon will discuss with you the most suitable treatment. In your case that is an surgery.
Before surgery, the plastic surgeon looks at the tumor at the outpatient clinic. Then he / she will discuss with you how this can best be removed. The plastic surgeon sometimes makes pictures of the tumor.
The surgery
The surgery usually takes place under local anesthesia at one of the outpatient operating rooms. In most cases, the plastic surgeon, after cutting away the tumor, can close the wound by stitching the wound edges together. The wound is then neatly connected or taped immediately afterwards and you can then go home immediately. The cut-away tissue is sent to the laboratory where the pathologist (doctor specializing in tissue screening) examines whether all malignant cells have been completely removed. You will receive the results of this examination at the outpatient clinic at the next appointment. The surgery lasts on average 30 to 60 minutes.
If the tumor is not completely removed, a new surgery sometimes has to be scheduled, again cutting tissue away.
Frozen section research
If the plastic surgeon can not immediately close the wound by bonding the wound edges together, the wound must be sealed in a different way. The plastic surgeon has various techniques to make the hole in the skin as beautiful as possible with so-called skin patches of tissue around the wound. If the wound is closed in this way, the plastic surgeon will check whether the tumor is completely removed during the surgery.
This can be done with a frozen section analysis. During this surgery the removed tissue is examined with the microscope. The frozen section analysis gives 98% reliability if the tumor has been completely removed. As soon as this is the case, the plastic surgeon can close the wound, possibly with the help of a reconstruction.
The advantage of the frozen section analysis is that the plastic surgeon, if the tumor is not completely removed in the first instance, can immediately remove more tissue, until the tumor is completely removed.
An surgery, in which frozen section research must be carried out, usually takes one and a half hours. Although the frozen section assessment takes time, it is very certain that the tumor is completely removed. This reduces the chance of a new surgery in the short term.
When you use blood thinners, in some cases you may need to stop using it a few days before the surgery. Only do this in consultation with your doctor and never on your own initiative. You may start using blood thinners again after the surgery.
You are advised to stop smoking at least eight weeks before the surgery. Stopping smoking promotes the healing of the wound.
*Image source : Wikimedia Commons
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