Skin Cancer
At DRS Skincare Hamilton, ON
| Treatment | Skin Cancer |
| Indications |
| Treatment Recovery | Varies on treatment modality |
| # Of Treatments Required | Typically one |
| Best Results Seen | Scarring can take up to 1 year for final result |
*estimate of sessions to be determined in consultation
What is Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer is one of the more common issues that we assess and treat at DRS Skincare. It is a very important area of patient health and something that we encounter daily during patient appointments. Our experience in this area is valuable to a patient in promptly recognizing potential concerns so treatment may be provided at the earliest stages. This approach ensures the most favourable outcome. No two people are alike, and there are many types of skin cancer, as well as many forms in which it can present. We welcome patients from Stoney Creek, Burlington, Grimsby, Waterdown, or other nearby communities to visit us for a consultation.
What to expect
At DRS Skincare, we perform biopsies on areas susceptible to skin cancer to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Many skin growths that are cancerous can be completely removed by our doctor with no further treatment required. We recommend regular skin checks by our professionals to stay on top of any changes that may occur, and maybe more frequently after a skin cancer occurrence. For more complex skin cancer surgeries, we offer referrals to a trusted plastic surgery associate to provide the patient with the most effective continuation of care.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should I look for?
Contact our office in Hamilton, Ontario, to schedule a body check or if you notice any places that have changed or are concerning. We are routinely able to provide patients with a relatively shorter wait time to obtain an appointment than they can secure with some other providers. Commonly noted concerns, which should be checked right away by the dermatologist, include:
- Asymmetrical moles – meaning that one side differs from the other, which can be a warning sign for cancerous moles.
- An uneven border – a mole with uneven, scalloped, or notched edges is a greater cause for concern.
- Multiple colours—rather than a uniform colour throughout the mole, it may have a variety of shades of brown or black, and some may even appear white, red, or blue.
- Larger diameters – moles which are larger in diameter tend to be more dangerous than the smaller ones, as a rule.
- Changing – most common moles will stay the same, and any that change in size, shape, colour, or bleed should be examined.
For examination, diagnosis, and treatment of skin cancer, including basal cell, squamous cell, actinic keratosis (AK), and melanoma, trust your health and care to the experienced doctors and team at DRS Skincare.
Hopefully, you’ve noticed that tangerine-sized tumor on the right upper back of this gentleman. This is one of our patients. He came in for a routine skin check. All those other brown spots you see are totally normal. They’re considered seborrheic keratoses, otherwise known as wisdom and maturity spots that happen as we get a bit older, tend to run in the family. He is a person who is going through transplant for one of his organs, and he’s at a higher risk for skin cancer. Key theme here is if you notice something growing, bleeding, and changing, you wanna get it checked. He noticed something on his back, and thankfully, he came in. We sent this patient to our plastic surgery colleagues, who got rid of this for him. Thankfully, he’s okay.
This is melanoma, a form of lethal skin cancer that needs to be treated immediately. Although typically it’ll present as a changing mole or lesion, in this case it presented as a rapidly growing tumor. Fortunately, we were able to get our patient off to our plastic surgery colleagues at Toronto Minor Plastic Surgery in Oakville to get this removed quickly. If you see a spot changing, growing, or bleeding for no reason, it is really important to get it checked out.
