Therapy of skin cancer of the face | Skin cancer of the face

Therapy of skin cancer of the face

The preferred treatment for almost all types of skin cancer of the face is surgical removal of the skin change. Some skin changes can also be frozen (cryotherapy). When facial skin cancer is removed surgically (excision), a safe distance must usually be maintained, which means that healthy looking tissue around the malignant skin change is removed as well.

In the case of malignant melanoma, the so-called sentinel lymph node (the lymph node closest to the skin cancer) may also have to be removed, since the malignant melanoma usually settles there first (metastasizes). In the case of larger black skin cancer changes in the face, treatment usually follows after surgical removal. For example, certain drugs are injected under the skin for a period of time after the operation to combat possible individual tumor cells that may have remained. Especially in the face, a surgical procedure has cosmetic consequences due to the scarring, which is why alternative treatment methods are often tried first, depending on the type of skin cancer. For example, actinic keratosis is treated with creams containing active ingredients such as diclofenac or imiquimod.

Diagnosis

Early detection plays an important role in all types of skin cancer. If a malignant skin change in the face is detected at an early stage, it can often be well treated and cured. Self-examination is particularly important in this context.Special attention should be paid to everything that is newly created or changes on the skin. Suspicious skin changes can be assessed using the ABCD rule: Asymmetry for asymmetric changes in shape, limitation for irregular or blurred spots, Color for changes that have different shades of color, and Diameter for skin spots that exceed 5 millimeters in diameter. If these criteria are met by a facial skin change, a dermatologist should perform further examinations to determine whether the change is benign or malignant.

Prognosis

Skin cancer is a disease in which the tumors spread in the course of the disease, which is why treatment is essential. The chances of healing black skin cancer depend on how early the change is detected and treated: the earlier, the better. Basal cell carcinoma is generally easy to treat and can be cured in over 90 percent of cases. Actinic keratosis should definitely be treated as a precancerous stage, as it develops into squamous cell carcinoma in about 10 percent of cases. Overall, there have been major advances in the treatment of skin cancer, but the most important measure for a good prognosis remains the avoidance of strong sunlight and early detection of the skin changes.