Experts In The Diagnosis and Treatment of Skin Cancer
Skin Growths Diagnosis and Treatments
Skin growths are typically benign and are usually lumps of tissue that project out from your skin. Moles and Warts are the most common types of skin growth. Moles are small marks on your skin that are caused by pigment which produce cells that can be flat or raised, smooth or rough, and can sometimes contain hair.
At Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists of Northern California, we specialize in diagnosing and treating all types of skin growth.
Our process is simple:
- We examine the growth;
- Determine if it is cancerous, and
- Develop a plan to remove it with limited discomfort and usually local anesthesia.
Skin Growths are not usually dangerous but can be ugly and unpleasant to look at.
If you have Skin Growth on your body, come into our office and let our specialists use a simple in-office procedure to remove them.
Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists is conveniently located in:
Yuba City: Serving patients from Marysville, Gridley, Colusa, Chico, Auburn, Grass Valley, and all surrounding areas.
Stockton: Serving patients from Lodi, Manteca, Galt, Modesto, and all surrounding areas.
The types of Skin Growths We See Regularly include:
Moles
Most people get Moles as they age usually having from 10-50 of them all over their body. In fact, moles start forming in childhood.
They appear as small dark brown spots – some people call them “beauty marks”. Actually, they are usually harmless and may change in appearance or in time even fade.
Most Moles are usually benign. Some Moles may lead to Melanoma (cancer of the skin), these are usually round like normal moles but show as brown and black, pink, tan, and white – if you see skin growths that present any of these characteristics, get them check by a Dermatologist Professional.
In particular, if a new mole appears and is larger than most, and may have irregular edges and uneven color with some pinkness in it, you should come to Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists of Northern California, as quickly as possible to have our Specialists examine it
The “ABCDE” rule is used by most Dermatologists to help determine the status of a mole. Upon examination, this method will help us determine whether an abnormal growth may be Melanoma. The “ABCDE” rule is as follows:
- Asymmetry (one half of the mole doesn't match the other)
- Border irregularity
- Color that is not uniform
- Diameter greater than 6 mm (about the size of a pencil eraser)
- Evolving size, shape, or color
If a new skin growth appears on your body that is irregular in size or color or if you have a mole that you are concerned about, get checked by a Dermatologist right away. The key is that until a trained professional checks it, there is no need to worry. Once it is examined and identified, an appropriate action plan can be put in place to treat it accordingly.
Warts
Warts are an infection on the skin that is usually caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. The HPV virus is very common, some of them cause warts on your hands and some strains of HPV are acquired through sexual contact. These sexually acquired HPV warts can lead to other complications and must be treated immediately.
There are over hundreds of types of warts, the most common being:
- Common Warts: usually appear on your fingers
- Plantar Warts: usually found on the soles of your feet
- Genital Warts: these are usually a sexually transmitted disease
In most cases, Warts are not dangerous, just contagious!
There are many treatments for Warts including:
- Acids are used to peel away the skin which takes warts with it
- Medicine can be given in a cream form or in a
- pill form to take by mouth
- Ice-cold liquid nitrogen which is used to freeze the warts off
- A Shot into the Wart is used to stimulate the immune system
- Lasers and other equipment used to burn off the warts
It is very important to note that if you try to cut off the wart, you may actually spread the virus and end up with more warts
The bottom line is that warts are common and very treatable! If you see one or more warts somewhere on your body, get them treated by a trained professional at Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists of Northern California.
There are many more types of skin growth that are not listed here, getting a thorough examination of your skin can help to alleviate the worry and clearly define exactly what type of growth you have on your body.
Please keep in mind that only a trained professional, after the proper examination and tests, can definitively tell you if your growth is cancerous…don’t take any chances,
Call Us For An Appointment Today!
Seborrheic Keratoses
Seborrheic Keratoses, called the Barnacles of Aging, are skin growths that most people get as they age. They are harmless and usually, you get more of them throughout adulthood.
These spots are usually oval and smaller than an inch across and also have long, tree-like patterns on the body, one way to identify them is that they are waxy and pasted-looking.
These types of skin growth do not usually become cancerous and are not related to sun exposure. There are several ways to treat these:
- Vaporizing the growth with a laser (ablation)
- Scraping the skin's surface with a special instrument (curettage)
- Freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery)
- Burning with an electric current (electrocautery)
Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists of Northern California have extensive experience in treating Seborrheic Keratoses growths. We will examine your growth and develop a plan to quickly remove it. Call Us Today!
Skin Growths are common, and everyone has them throughout their life. Normally they are nothing to be concerned with. If, however, they are bothering you, are unattractive and in visible locations or if you think they may be cancerous, don’t wait – Call Us Today to set an appointment to have them checked!
Two Locations To Serve You Best
Yuba City Location
437 Del Norte Avenue
Yuba City, CA 95991
Phone: (530) 599-8703
fax: (530) 923-7362
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday: 8am - 4:30pm
Stockton Location
1507 E. March Lane
Suite C
Stockton, CA 95210
Phone: (209) 227-5052
fax: (209) 475-8146
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday: 8am – 4:30pm
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Yuba City Office
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Stockton Office
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