Excision of Skin Cancers

Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin. There are several types of cancer that originate in the skin. The most common types are basal cell carcinoma (70 percent of all skin cancers) and squamous cell carcinoma (20 percent). These types are classified as nonmelanoma skin cancer. Melanoma (five percent of all skin cancers) is the third type of skin cancer. It is less common than basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma, but potentially much more serious. Other types of skin cancer are rare.

When skin cancers arise on you face or neck regions you should trust your face only to a facial plastic surgeon not only to resect the cancer but also for reconstruction of the defect so that you wont be left with a significant cosmetic deformity.  Dr. Alen Cohen and Dr. Jerome Vener at C/V ENT Surgical Group, which serves the greater Los Angeles area, have particular experience in the management of skin cancers and melanoma of the face and neck region. Also at times these cancers may have predilection for local metastasis to lymph nodes in the region and they will address the metastatic deposits adequately with parotidectomy or neck dissection.  In the treatment of melanoma often sentinel lymph node biopsy is also employed for proper staging.