Surgical Treatments

Curettage and cautery (C&C)

Performed under local anaesthetic C&C is a simple technique used to remove benign warts, seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma insitu (Bowens disease) and low risk basal cell carcinomas. Depending on how it is performed C&C wounds are often slow to heal over several weeks, painful at first eventually leaving a hypopigmented scar.

Excision biopsy

Excision biopsy is performed under local anaesthetic typically to remove concerning skin lesions that are either skin cancer or possible skin cancer. This technique aims to remove the entire lesion to allow accurate diagnosis and also definitive treatment. Excision biopsy is the preferred treatment for most basal cell carcinomas off the face (for facial lesions consider Mohs micrographic surgery), squamous cell carcinomas, suspicious or changing moles and other types of skin cancer.

Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS)

MMS is considered the ‘gold standard’ treatment for skin cancer on cosmetically sensitive sites such as the central face or in situations where persevering as much normal healthy skin as possible is crucial such as on fingers and genitals. To understand the technique please watch the patient video produced by Dr Toby Nelson’s college the American college of Mohs surgery:

Dr Toby Nelson is one of only a handful of Mohs surgeons in Europe to have completed a fellowship affiliated to the ACMS. He owes this prestigious accreditation to his close friends, trainers and mentors Dr Paul Salmon and Neil Mortimer of the Skin Centre, New Zealand