Skin cancer is treatable so long as you visit the hospital early enough. Some signs to watch out for include painful lesions, large brownish spots with dark speckles, and moles that change in color and size. Besides treating your cancer, skin cancer screenings Fort Worth doctors advise you on ways to avoid getting it.
As a first-timer, you are probably curious about what the process entails. Luckily, you are going to learn everything you need to know about skin cancer screening. Here are the chronological steps below.
Informing the Patient of the Possible Risks of the Procedure
First, your doctor will discuss the nature of these tests. Sometimes, you may receive false-positive results, which will cause you to panic, yet you may not have cancer. Also, you could receive false-negative results and think you do not have cancer. However, they will reduce these cases by doing the tests as often as possible.
Next, they will warn you of possible side effects such as swelling or bleeding. However, these problems should disappear within a week. If that does not happen, your doctor will ask you to contact them.
Examining Your Skin From Head to Toe
Before the doctor begins the test, they will ask you to remove any makeup or nail polish. As good as these products are in enhancing your looks, they can mask skin areas with cancer. If you must use them, wait until you are done with the skin cancer screening process.
Next, your doctor will make you change into their hospital gown. Remember, doctors, examine several areas for cancer, including your toes, fingers, and genitals. If you wear regular clothes, it becomes challenging for the doctor to examine these body parts since you will keep unbuttoning your shirt or pants.
Studying the Lesions
Having lesions does not mean you have cancer. Diseases such as shingles and chickenpox cause them. To confirm whether these lesions are cancerous, they will analyze their diameter with a dermatoscopy. If they measure more than 6mm, you may have skin cancer.
Another thing they study about the lesions is the colors in them. Brown, black or tan colors in the moles indicate that you have skin cancer. It is more concerning if you have a combination of all these colors.
Doing a Biopsy
Doctors will consider a biopsy if they notice something suspicious with your skin. Sometimes, you may have spots on your body that are not lesions. Your doctor will extract tissue from the affected skin and send it to the laboratory.
You will receive your biopsy results within a week. If they reveal you have cancer, your doctor will immediately create a treatment plan. In case your cancer is severe, your doctor may consider surgery or recommend you to an oncologist.
Recommendations for Constant Screening Tests
If your cancer is not that serious, you do not need to keep going for these tests. Your doctor will only recommend that for people with a family history of skin cancer, many moles, and an advanced age. You may be asked to do the tests every three months or a year.
During your visits, your doctor will advise you on how to care for your skin. You could be asked to protect yourself from the sun, for instance. If you do not, your condition could worsen.
Understandably, some people may fear going for these tests. They wouldn’t know what to do if they discovered they have skin cancer. Unfortunately, by avoiding them, you could develop stage 4 cancer. At this point, your chances of surviving become minimal.
You should make it a habit to go for these tests, especially if you have a family history of skin cancer. Also, you could just go for them to take preventive measures. Remember, it is more expensive to treat stage 4 cancer than to go for screening tests.
