SKIN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

In order to give you the most thorough check possible, you will need to remove the majority of your clothing. We understand that this can be intimidating for some people. Your comfort and privacy are important to us. We will let you get undressed in private and give you a large sheet to cover yourself with. The doctor will then uncover each area they need to examine, until all areas are checked.

We ask that if possible you remove all nail polish and come without makeup so that we can ensure the completeness of your check up. At the end of the check up we will go through our findings with you and organise a treatment plan. With your approval, we will also give you advice for caring for your skin and recommendations for skin care products that may assist you.

Our doctors are highly experienced in the use of a Dermatoscope. This is a hand-held microscope that allows us to look at skin lesions and make a decision regarding removal. We do not require the assistance of mole scanning software to make this decision. Photographs may be taken of your lesions and stored on your file for future reference.

There are a variety of ways to treat skin cancers and precancerous skin lesions. At Central Wagga Medical and Skin Clinic we use a surgical grade radiofrequency device, liquid nitrogen and Photodynamic therapy (PDT) to augment our surgical treatments. Your doctor will discuss the type of skin surgery you require.

Photo Dynamic Therapy or PDT is a medical procedure used to treat sundamaged skin and superfical skin cancers. It involves the application of a special photosensitising medication to the skin which is left on to penetrate for several hours. This is then activated by an intense LED light source to selectively destroy the abnormal and damaged cells while sparring the healthy cells. PDT is very effective for solar keratoses and general sun damage and also results in a marked cosmetic improvement of the skin. It is also useful for skin cancer treatment when the area is large or difficult to treat with surgery.

PDT can be used to treat sun damaged skin on the face, scalp, hands, décolletage and legs. It treats the underlying damage in the skin that causes sunspots to occur and will reduce the number of solar keratoses needing removal with liquid nitrogen or other physical means. PDT also produces a good cosmetic rejuvenation of the skin with improvements in texture, tone, pigmentation and pore size. PDT is safe and relatively simple to perform. The treatment time is quick and the whole procedure is performed in the clinic with no need to remember to apply ongoing creams at home. A large area of skin or “field” such as the face can be treated in one session.