What is surgical dermatology?

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What is surgical dermatology?
Surgical dermatology focuses on diagnosing and
treating skin diseases using both surgical and
non- surgical procedures. If you're dealing with
precancerous moles, Mohs surgery, or earlobe
repair, you'll likely see a surgical
dermatologist for treatment. Some cosmetic cases
require surgical solutions. Surgical dermatology
improves the function and appearance of your
skin by removing or modifying skin tissue. Most
dermatological surgeries are minimally invasive
procedures that are localized to the part of the
skin affected by the condition or disease. Our
Dermatology department offers a variety of
surgical solutions for your skin, including
removal of cysts, sebaceous tumors and skin
cancers. In our clinic, our skin surgeons perform
a precise technique of removing skin cancer
known as Mohs surgery. This surgery removes the
cancer one small layer at a time until healthy
skin is accessed, minimizing damage to the
surrounding tissue.
Procedures Given by Surgical Dermatology MOHS
SURGERY

• Microscopic Mohs surgery (known as MMS surgery or
  Mohs surgery) mainly treats the most common
  forms of skin cancer basal cell carcinoma and
  squamous cell carcinoma. Mohs surgery enables
  your surgeon to remove tissue in stages,
  accurately identifying and removing tumor cells
  while preserving healthy surrounding tissues.
  Cure rates for Mohs technology are close to 98
  percent, the highest cure rates for skin cancer.
• Fellowship-trained dermatology surgeons perform
  Mohs surgery on an outpatient basis. In many
  cases, patients only need two or three repeated
  operations. Some may require further treatments
  to completely remove the cancer cells and
  possibly repair the surgical wound.
• As with any surgical procedure, Mohs surgery
  leaves a scar. After the tumor is completely
  removed, your doctor evaluates the wound and
  discusses treatment options with you, including
• Allow the wound to heal naturally

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• Wound repair with surgery
• Photodynamic Therapy
• We use photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat
  carcinomas and non-melanoma skin cancers. Our
  doctors can perform this light therapy in their
  office.
• Our specialists apply a photosensitizing agent to
  the skin around and around the growth area. When
  the agent penetrates into tissues, it is
  absorbed into rapidly dividing, precancerous or
  precancerous cells. Your doctor then activates
  the agent by exposing it to light, and
  stimulating the topical agent to destroy the
  tissues in that specific area. PDT shrinks safely
  and effectively or completely eliminates
  precancerous or precancerous growths.
• Radiation Therapy
• Radiation therapy (RT) uses high-energy rays or
  particles to kill, shrink, or slow cancer cells.
  This treatment is effective for very large
  tumors or in locations that are difficult to
  treat with surgery. It is also beneficial for
  patients who are in poor health and who cannot
  tolerate surgery.
• RT may be used alone or in combination with other
  treatments. Our dermatology surgeons work closely
  with the Department of Radiation Oncology at the
  University of California, Los Angeles to develop
  individualized treatment programs for patients
  suitable for this treatment.

• Surgical Excision
• Surgical excision involves removing the visible
  melanoma lesion as well as a small amount of
  surrounding tissue for examination. Surgical
  excision can be used for
• Remove the lesion completely to treat the cancer
  with surgery
• Taking a sample of tissue from a suspicious
  lesion for biopsy
• Our expert surgeons perform surgical excision
  procedures in ways that increase cosmetic results
  and reduce scarring and functional impairment.
  Surgical excision is a common removal treatment
• Basal cell carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Malignant melanoma
• Other benign or malignant skin tumors on the
  trunk or extremities
• Our surgeons usually remove skin cancers and
  other tumors in the head and neck with Mohs
  surgery.
• Topical Skin Cancer Therapy
• Precancerous and precancerous skin growths can be
  treated with topical melanoma agents. Skin-based
  agents preserve the healthy tissue around the
  growth while treating the growth in one of two
  ways
• Direct targeting of cancer cells (chemotherapy
  agents)

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TREATMENT AND REMOVAL OF CANCEROUS
MOLES Cancerous moles are very dangerous.
Cancerous moles are usually treated by a surgical
dermatologist through circumcision. Cancerous
moles are cut out of the skin, including a large
border around the mole to ensure it is
completely removed. The wound will be closed with
stitches. The removal of cancerous moles may be
performed by a surgical dermatologist as an
outpatient procedure.
EARLOBE REPAIR Earrings are trendy, but they can
also cause health problems! A torn earlobes is
common due to large and heavy earrings, or
jewelry that gets tangled in clothes or pulled by
children. Whatever the cause, when it comes to a
ruptured earlobe, earlobe repair is
essential. Using local anesthesia, surgical
dermatologists perform earlobe repair by
reattaching the split earlobes with
sutures. After a period of successful earlobe
repair and healing, patients who wish to have
their ears pierced again may be able to do so.
Consult your Cosmetic dermatologist about your
options!

• Cryosurgery
• Cryosurgery involves applying a freezing agent,
  the most common liquid nitrogen, directly to the
  skin to destroy skin growth. Liquid nitrogen
  damages tissues through freeze-thaw cycles. Then
  it replaces the normal skin cells and naturally
  heals the area. Temporary redness and stinging
  may occur briefly over the treatment area as the
  lesion crusts and crusts over a period of one to
  two weeks.
• Our doctors usually use cryosurgery for
• Benign neoplasms such as seborrheic keratosis,
  vulgar wart, warty keratosis and flor
• Possible growth of cancer such as actinic
  keratosis
• Some cases of non-melanoma superficial skin
  cancer basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell
  carcinoma
• Curettage and Electrosurgery
• Curettage is a surgical treatment that involves
  mechanical scraping of tissue with a sharp
  object. Electrosurgery uses heat from an
  electrical current to burn, cut, or coagulate
  tissue. Our skin surgeons use these two
  treatments together
• Non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma,
  squamous cell carcinoma)
• Other benign lesions on the trunk or extremities
• Using curettage and then electrosurgery targets
  the entire lesion as well as a margin of
  surrounding tissue to treat the affected area
  effectively. The resulting wound will heal
  naturally within a few weeks without the need
  for stitches.
• Laser Resurfacing and Chemical Peels

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• Laser light resurfacing Erbium or carbon dioxide
• Treatments target the affected skin by either
  local dissolving (chemical peeling) or excising
  the treatment area (laser peeling). Treatments
  remove tissue deep beneath the origin of the
  abnormal cells. Chemical peels and laser
  resurfacing are commonly used to treat abnormal
  growths on the face, scalp and lips.
• After peeling, the underlying and adjacent skin
  cells help rejuvenate your skin. Some patients
  require a series of treatments. During the
  recovery phase, patients may suffer
• Redness
• Mild swelling
• Peeling
• OTHER SURGICAL DERMATOLOGY
• Surgical dermatology is also available for people
  who need help removing and healing scars, peeling
  skin or lesions, removing birthmarks, and
  countless other conditions. If you have a skin
  condition or problem and want to treat, cure, or
  eliminate it, contact a qualified and
  professional surgical dermatologist. It is
  important for your skin to remember when you
  think about your health, so don't delay seeking
  treatment if you suspect there is a problem.