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There are many different types of surgeries that can be used to remove skin cancers.

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• Excisions are very similar to the initial biopsy and uses a surgical knife to cut the cancerous area as well as a specific margin of surrounding skin. It is then stitched back together in a line.

• Electrodesiccation and Curettage treatment uses a curette, a long, thin instrument with a sharp and looped-shaped edge on the end, to scrape away the cancerous cells. Then an electrode destroys any remaining cancer. This treatment typically leaves small circular scars that improve with time.

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Dr. Gerber also performs Mohs surgery for certain skin cancers, but it often takes several hours in an outpatient setting. This surgery involves the removal of a thin layer of the cancerous skin and then an examination of that area to determine if one or more additional layers might be need to be removed. This surgery is often left for more aggressive skin cancers and sensitive areas such as the region near the eyes.

Lymph node surgery may need to be performed if lymph nodes are enlarged from spreading skin cancer and then biopsied and found to be cancerous. Lymph node surgery is performed in the hospital setting or at a cancer center, if necessary.

Skin grafting and reconstructive surgery are not often necessary but can be employed in cases in which skin has been stretched a great deal or large pieces of cancerous skin needed to be removed. Dr. Ross has had extensive training in skin grafting and skin transfer surgeries. Grafting uses healthy skin from other areas on the body to make more visible areas, such as your face, more aesthetically pleasing.​