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Excision is the standard treatment for basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. The tumour is removed with a measured margin of normal skin under local anaesthetic, the wound is closed in layers, and the specimen goes to pathology to confirm the margins are clear. At Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, Dr. Paul Kuzel, a board-certified dermatologist, diagnoses the cancer, performs the excision and reads the report himself. Covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral.
An excision removes what can be seen and a rim of what cannot, because skin cancers extend microscopically beyond their visible edge.
Excision is the default because it gives a pathology answer and the highest cure rate for most tumours. Some cancers are better treated another way.
Scraping and cauterising a small superficial basal cell carcinoma or in-situ squamous cell carcinoma on the trunk or limbs. Quick, no sutures, a round scar, no margin assessment.
Imiquimod, fluorouracil or PDT for superficial basal cell carcinoma and Bowen's disease, especially when there are many or the site heals poorly.
Photodynamic therapyMargins checked under the microscope during the operation. For tumours on the nose, eyelids, lips and ears, aggressive subtypes and recurrences. Referred to a Mohs surgeon.
For patients who cannot have surgery, or for tumours where surgery would cost too much function. Referred to radiation oncology.
A skin cancer is best removed by the physician who found it, knows its subtype, and will read what the pathologist writes.
The common skin cancers are removed in the clinic. Melanoma and high-risk lesions are removed with a wider margin on a separate page.
Nodular, superficial and infiltrative subtypes. A pearly bump, a red patch or a scar-like plaque that does not heal.
Basal cell carcinomaA firm, scaly or crusted growth on sun-damaged skin that can spread if neglected. Excised with a slightly wider margin.
Squamous cell carcinomaSquamous cell carcinoma confined to the surface. Excised, or treated with curettage, topical therapy or PDT depending on site and number.
Not a cancer but the soil it grows in. Treated with cryotherapy, topical therapy or PDT, and biopsied when thick or tender.
Actinic keratosisRemoved by wide local excision with a margin set by depth. A separate procedure with its own planning.
Wide local excisionsA full skin examination finds the cancers you have not noticed, and the biopsy that starts the process.
Skin checksMost excisions take thirty to forty-five minutes and are booked within weeks of the biopsy result.
A clean, moist, protected wound heals with the finest scar.
Skin cancer diagnosis and excision are covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral from your family physician. No fee is charged for the procedure, the pathology or the follow-up.
Referrals by fax to (403) 225-2914. Call (403) 286-6888 with questions.
Standard excision with clear margins cures about ninety-five percent of primary basal cell carcinomas and a similar proportion of squamous cell carcinomas. Where the margin comes back involved, a second procedure brings the cure rate back to that level.
The scar is a fine line, longer than the tumour was wide because an ellipse is needed to close flat. It is pink for two to three months and pale by a year. Scars on the face heal best; the back, shoulders and shins heal slowest and widest.
One skin cancer makes a second more likely. Follow-up skin checks at six to twelve months, and daily sun protection, are part of the treatment rather than an afterthought.
Yes. Diagnosis, biopsy, excision, pathology and follow-up are covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral from your family physician.
Thirty to forty-five minutes for most excisions, under local anaesthetic. You are awake, and you drive yourself home.
The anaesthetic injection stings for a few seconds. The excision itself is painless; you feel pressure and tugging. Afterward the site is sore for a day or two and simple analgesics are enough.
Roughly three times the width of the tumour, as a fine line placed along a natural skin fold. It is pink for a few months and fades to pale by a year.
The area is re-excised, or referred for Mohs surgery where the site calls for it. Dr. Kuzel reads every report and tells you either way.
Excision for most basal and squamous cell carcinomas on the trunk, limbs, scalp, forehead and cheeks. Mohs for the nose, eyelids, lips and ears, aggressive subtypes and recurrences, where it spares tissue and checks every margin. Dr. Kuzel refers directly.
Usually yes. Stopping them risks a stroke or clot; a little more bleeding is managed at the time. Tell Dr. Kuzel everything you take.
Recurrence after clear-margin excision is about five percent. A new skin cancer elsewhere is more likely than a recurrence, which is why follow-up skin checks matter.
Yes. A red scar responds to VBeam and a raised or textured one to injection or fractional laser, from about three months after surgery.
Dr. Paul Kuzel, MD FRCPC, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Medical Director of Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, diagnoses, excises and follows every skin cancer personally. He sees patients in English and Czech.
Grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Ask your family physician for a referral, or book a consultation directly. Referrals are seen promptly.
Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South
10201 Southport Rd SW #102
Calgary, AB T2W 4X9
Two blocks west of the Delta Hotel
(403) 286-6888
Referrals by fax: (403) 225-2914
Open seven days a week, with early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Take the first step toward achieving healthy, radiant, and flawless skin. Contact Rejuvenation Medical Aesthetics today to schedule your personalized consultation and explore the advanced treatments tailored to your unique needs.
